CARSON CITY —  The conviction of a man who lead authorities on a 75-mile high-speed pursuit will stand after the Nevada Supreme Court denied his appeal.  Peter Paul Lopez, 29, was convicted in 2009 of eluding peace officers in a manner posing danger to person or property.  Lopez appealed the conviction arguing the state lacked the necessary evidence for each element to convict.  The Justices disagreed and the conviction stands.

Events began in 2008 when a NHP trooper clocked Lopez driving in excess of the speed limit.  The trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Lopez did not pull over and a pursuit ensued. 

The pursuit lasted 75 miles – from east of Winnemucca to the outskirts of Lovelock – at times reaching 115-120 mph. According to witness testimony Lopez drove erratically, which included passing commercial vehicles on the road shoulder.

In an effort to end the pursuit, a police officer with the Lovelock Police Department put stop-sticks on the Interstate.  Lopez attempted to drive around the stop-sticks but lost control of his vehicle, which overturned multiple times in the median.  Lopez’s brother was ejected during the rollover and both men were seriously injured but both recovered.

In addition to the edluding charge, Lopez was convicted of misdemeanor DUI in justice court.