BARTON/RICE COUNTY, Kan. — A two-county high speed chase Monday afternoon that started in Ellinwood ended in Rice County with a Hutchinson man put in jail, and with more problems than just the chase.
The Barton County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy tried to stop a car on US 56 near Main Street in Ellinwood when the driver turned south on Main, then returned to US 56 and headed east into Rice County. Speeds during the chase exceeded 100 miles an hour, during which the vehicle went to several fields and township roads before sustaining disabling damage on 3rd Road.
The driver of the car, Austin Newton of Hutchinson, was initially arrested on flee and elude charges, but a subsequent search of the vehicle turned up nearly a pound of suspected methamphetamine and over $1,400. This added more charges including possession of meth with intent to distribute.
Newton was booked into the Barton County Jail on a $100,000 bond in this case, plus other bonds on cases in Rice and Sedgwick counties.
