High speed chase blazes through Marshall County

In the early morning hours on December 2, a high-speed chase wound its way through several counties. Thackerville Police Chief Stephen Ortega pulled over a driver – later identified as Joshua Rember – for an illegal U-turn.

Ortega said what began as a typical traffic stop, turned dangerous very quickly. Ortega said he questioned the driver where he was heading.

According to body camera footage, Rember replied with an interesting response. “I’m trying to find my friend. She’s walking down the road in the dark,” Rember, a 24-year-old male from Madill said.

Ortega then noticed a pistol under Rember’s leg, and ordered him to step out of the vehicle.

Apparently, Rember did not want to heed the police chief’s command, because Ortega said the suspect sped off at a high rate of speed.

Reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, the pursuit blazed multiple counties – from Love County, where it began, through Madill and to Bryan County.

Rember lost control of his Ford pickup and crashed in Bryan County. He was taken to Parkland Hospital and is being treated for internal injuries.

An online background search shows Rember has a prior conviction for Eluding/Attempting to Elude and Driving Under Suspension from 2018. He also has a misdemeanor conviction for Possession of CDS – Marijuana.

Ortega said the entire encounter has him scratching his head, but he is thankful it did not turn out fatal. “I don’t know exactly why he ran to begin with, but [I’m] glad all of my fellow officers and first responders were able to go home to their families that morning.”