Man accused in high-speed chase

An Arizona man was detained in the county jail last week after being accused of engaging in a chase with law enforcement at speeds of over 100 mph on Interstate 40 in Quay County.

Bryan Scott Kalember, 38, of Peoria, Arizona, was charged with aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer, felony possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), driving while under the influence of drugs, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding 36 mph and over and failure to maintain traffic lane.

The fleeing and drug possession charges each are fourth-degree felonies that would lead up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

According to an affidavit filed by New Mexico State Police officer Sheila Sanchez, she was patrolling on I-40 in Guadalupe County about 10 a.m. April 20 when she saw an eastbound Chevrolet Cobalt traveling at a high rate of speed. Sanchez said her patrol vehicle’s radar determined the Cobalt was traveling 92 mph.

Sanchez said her vehicle caught up with the Cobalt, and she activated her lights and sirens. The driver, identified as Kalember, did not pull over, continued driving east at speeds near 100 mph and passed a commercial vehicle on the shoulder.

The Cobalt continue to go east at a high speed despite state police spiking and deflating its front right and rear tires near milepost 317 in Quay County. A Quay County sheriff’s deputy spiked two more tires on the Cobalt at milepost 324, and officers brought the vehicle to a stop using an intervention technique.

After Kalember’s arrest, Sanchez said she saw several baggies containing a crystalline substance, identified as methamphetamine, in plain sight in the Cobalt.

During an interview at a state police office in Tucumcari, Kalember said he was out of jail on felony weapons charges and did not stop because he did not want to go back to prison. He later admitted he was driving the car under the influence of narcotics and had them in the vehicle. Sanchez said Kalember’s eyes were watery and his speech slurred.

Kalember’s case was transferred to district court the next day, and he remained in custody at the Quay County Detention Center early this week. No attorney for him was listed in online court records.