CORRECTION 2:53 p.m. Monday: The Salina Police Department has amended its report in this case. A box of miscellaneous computer equipment was not in the stolen SUV. Salina Post has corrected the story below to reflect that change in the official police report.
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By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
A Salina man was arrested after a pursuit through parts of the city ended in a stolen-vehicle crash and a severed power pole.
Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning that officers were sent to the 100 block of Fairdale Road at 7 a.m. Friday for the report of a stolen vehicle. Michelle Peck, 41, of Salina, reported that her white 2015 Nissan Armada was stolen from the driveway. A key fob had been left in the unlocked SUV, Forrester said.
The SUV was valued at $25,000.
Saturday at approximately 7:30 p.m., an officer observed the stolen SUV in the 1900 block of N. Ninth Street. When the officer attempted to stop the SUV, it sped away and a pursuit ensued along the following route.
●N. Ninth Street to Interstate 70
●I-70 west to Interstate 135
●I-135 south to W. Crawford Street
●W. Crawford Street to the W. Republic Avenue/Sunset Park area
●Then east on W. Jewell Avenue to S. Santa Fe Avenue
●South on S. Santa Fe Avenue to E. Claflin Avenue
●East on E. Claflin Avenue to Roach Street
The pursuit then went north on Roach Street until the driver lost control and crashed the SUV into two power poles at the southeast corner of the Roach Street/E. Prescott Road intersection. The SUV also struck two boats on the property of Sankey Auto Center, Inc. The boats were a 1999 Pro Weld flat-bottom boat and a 2001 Bass Tracker 175, Forrester said. No damage estimate was given for the boats.
The driver, identified as Dustin Cole, 33, of Salina, fled on foot and headed north across the old Smoky Hill River channel. He was captured by a Kansas Highway Patrol lieutenant in the 800 block of Elmhurst Boulevard, Forrester said.
Cole allegedly was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Cole was arrested on the following requested charges, Forrester said.
●Possession of stolen property
●Felony obstruction
●Felony flee and elude
●Possession of drug paraphernalia
●Possession of marijuana
●Multiple traffic violations
A female passenger in the SUV was not arrested, Forrester said.
The SUV was towed from the scene.