Charges have been filed against the driver of a vehicle involved in a chase that started at the Emporia interchange on the Kansas Turnpike. Pursuit ended when the driver lost control of the 2006 Mazda car and struck a guard rail and a barrier wall at approximately Milepost 103, about 24 miles south of Emporia, according to a report filed by the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The driver, William Gustafson, 37, of Tinley Park, Ill., was taken to Newman Regional Health for treatment of minor injuries.
According to a press release from Emporia Police Lt. Edward P. Owens, Gustafson is wanted on charges in Illinois and has been charged in Lyon County District Court for being a fugitive from justice.
A passenger in his vehicle has been identified as a runaway juvenile from Wisconsin. The juvenile was taken to Stormont-Vail HealthCare for treatment. The juvenile's condition has not been released.
Owens stated that a local police officer had stopped the vehicle for speeding at approximately 1:10 a.m. on Thursday at the turnpike interchange gate.
The officer smelled an odor of burnt marijuana inside the vehicle and, with assistance from a KHP trooper, occupants of the car turned over a quantity of marijuana.
"As officers were interviewing the vehicle occupants and running routine checks through state and national databases, the driver of the vehicle accelerated rapidly and pulled away, placing the officers in danger," Owens stated. "The officers pursued the vehicle south on the turnpike."
Owens said that both people in the vehicle had multiple identification documents with different names, which made the initial identification difficult.
Local police are working with Illinois investigators regarding criminal investigations in Illinois. Family members of the juvenile have been notified, Owens said.
Charges related to the pursuit and Gustafson's affiliation with the juvenile runaway are expected as part of the ongoing investigation, Owens said.
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Posted by Beo_Saoirse (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 1:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Did I miss the story in the Gazette about the local man who has gone missing? I read about it in the Topeka and Wichita newspapers, but have not seen anything here....
Posted by oh4theluvof (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You didn't miss it...they never posted it. Here's the KVOE latest update (I go there to read the news and come here to comment on the pieces I can actually find here).
ALZHEIMER'S PATIENT COLD BUT CONSCIOUS WHEN FOUND
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Alive and relatively well.
That's the early indication after an Alzheimer's patient was found early Saturday morning in south Emporia.
Police Sgt. Corky Heller says 80-year-old John Smith was found around 5:15 am in a wooded area near S. Lawrence and Rindom Road -- less than six blocks from his home at 108 S. Washington. Smith was conscious but when he was found. He was taken to Newman Regional for treatment for exposure.
Heller credited the Kansas Search and Rescue Dog Association for helping to find Smith, who was reported missing Friday afternoon. The search originally focused on southeast Emporia but expanded to a 10-mile radius around town and later to neighboring counties.
Posted by Free4all (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 2:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That is soooo sad that THIS makes the headline, but yet a confused elderly man is missing for half a day and a whole night in the cold and it never even gets on here to help let people know to watch out for him. Someone dropped the ball BIGTIME. Should just make this a local blog site and dump the news. Like ohfortheluvof says, go to KVOE for the news, here for the nonsense!
Posted by Beo_Saoirse (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 5:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe they found the guy. No since publishing a story that he is missing if he has already been found.
Posted by Free4all (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 5:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
He wasnt found till 5 am this morning. He went missing yesterday early afternoon. I would say that would worry anyone who was a family member.
Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 6:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I hate to rain on some of your parades......but there is such a thing as publication limitations in the newspaper business. If he went missing yesterday afternoon the Friday paper had already been printed and was being delivered before it happened. If he was found at 5 a.m. today the Saturday paper was still a few hours from being printed and even longer from being delivered. There was no way the newspaper could have played an active role in helping find this man but the timing played well with the news cycle for the radio station.
Criticize the paper for not doing an after fact story stating that every thing had worked out fine if you feel you must.....but don't accuse them of dropping the ball on the search because they didn't.
Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 6:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Free4all......now what looks like nonsense.
Posted by hornet08 (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 6:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't think the publishing deadlines are quite that strict online where they could have posted something to let people know there was an Emporian in need. If there is some reason why they couldn't put something on the home page please tell us about it because at this point I'm still disappointed in the Gazette.
Posted by dhcc66 (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 6:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
maybe it's because the gazette is printed in lawrence now and the deadline might be a little different?? they do have to print it and drive it down here right?
also, it was in the online paper pretty quickly, just not as quick as the kvoe sight. maybe it's because the city uses kvoe to broadcast warnings and other stuff and the gazette doesn't get it as quick?
wow, what people will complain about.....
Posted by Free4all (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 7 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I mean the ON-LINE version with the HEADLINES in red for breaking news.Last I knew there was no deadline for that unless I am mistaken.
Posted by Free4all (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 7:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Anyways they can sure keep the Hornets score updated. Sorry to think a missing elderly man was so important as to get the news out as much as possible to as many people as possible. Yet still not even a mention of it, like I said how sad this paper is turning out the way it has since its move to Lawrence.
Posted by oh4theluvof (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 7:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
dhcc66
I looked several times for it on the online home page and never did see it......my apologies if it was there and I never did see it. To be fair, I did abandon the computer to go look around Peter Pan Park and a couple of other random locations that came to my mind to search as well as to spread the word to people I saw and the cashiers at South Country Mart, so I very well could've missed it. I did look at the home page a couple of times after dark, however and still didn't see it.
biscuitboy:
I never expected in print, but I did expect and online posting on the home page just as Free4all and hornet08 apparently did.
Posted by YY4U (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Shouldn't an 80-year-old Alzheimer's patient have a personal care attendant to ensure they don't forget their way in the cold at night? Great job Emporia Police and Kansas Search and Rescue Dog Association for helping to find him.
Posted by Free4all (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 7:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Families try their best and are often at odds whether to place a family member in a home or bring someone else into their homes to assist with cares. Often they dont act the same and can be embaressing to those who have never been around such situations and can often feel very alone with trying to care for a loved one. As for the story on here it was just now posted. The most important thing is he is home safe and sound in the warmth and love of his family.
Posted by YY4U (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 8:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes Free4all, although resources are available to provide respite to the families caring for a loved one with severe disabilities, it is almost impossible to find outside caregivers so the family gets no respite. It's sad
Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 17, 2009 at 11:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was talking about the printed version of course.....One poster says it was on the on-line version others say they never saw it there....I don't know. But then I didn't know about it at all because I didn't have my radio turned on....nor my computer either for most of that time.
Posted by Beo_Saoirse (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Not being overly critical, but with an online edition, there is no real deadline. If it is new NOW, it ought to be on the Web now...of course, accuracy is top priority.
Newspapers have for so long been the chief medium for news that they are still struggling with the idea of rigid deadlines. The Web has thrown that out the windows. Perhaps, The Gazette, like so many other newspapers, is still transitioning to the Deadline Every Minute concept.
On the other hand, they may have just missed the story. Reporters, afterall, are only human. They must sleep sometime.
Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 12:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Beo_Saoirse........You are potentially correct about everything you said....and show some understanding of the problems and mind-sets entrenched in some newspapers. I picked up a degree in journalism, (back when newspapers were still painted on the walls of caves), and often jump too quickly to their defense. This is especially true when I detect what looks to me like sour grapes which I thought I was seeing with one of the other posters.
Posted by chinadoll (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 11:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Does anyone know any more details about the car chase on the turnpike?
Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 19, 2009 at 5:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
chinadoll......I agree. Especially the status of the juvenile runaway that was in the vehicle. Why was he there and what was his relationship to the adult? Was he a young juvenile or one close to his majority?
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