By BECKY KISER

HAYS-Law enforcement officials were led on a high-speed chase by a passenger car Wednesday afternoon south of Hays.

According to Kansas Highway Patrol spokesman Trooper Tod Hileman, a KHP trooper stopped an eastbound vehicle at 2:02 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 70 just east of the U.S. 183 bypass.

A man who had a female passenger drove the vehicle, a rental car with Nevada plates.

The car fled the scene of the traffic stop and exited the interstate at the 183 bypass heading south.

The car then headed south on 240th Avenue, winding through county roads before reaching U.S. 183 and heading north. The suspect’s vehicle reached speeds of 105 mph, according to reports.

Stop sticks were successfully deployed at 2:21 p.m., just south of Countryside Estates, and the car went into the east ditch and struck a utility box.

The male driver fled the scene on foot, and the female passenger was arrested at the vehicle.

Hileman said the driver ran to Auto Collision Specialists, 1018 Old U.S. 40, and hid inside the building under a vehicle. He was quickly apprehended by law enforcement.

During the chase, a trooper reported a bag was tossed from the fleeing car. Officers retrieved the bag, which was believed to contain marijuana.
Possible charges, Hileman said, include attempting to flee and elude and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and Hays Police Department assisted during the incident.