By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
An Oklahoma man was arrested in Salina in the area of a John Deere Gator he allegedly stole and drove from McPherson County Thursday.
Deputies were dispatched to the area of Old Highway 40 just west of Salina just before noon Thursday for the report of a John Deere Gator driving fast on the roadway, Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning.
The Gator and its driver were located and after a brief chase, the Gator broke down on the tracks near the Shady Lady Gentlemen's Club at 1540 W. Old Highway 40. The driver, identified as Joshua Baker, 34, Midwest City, Okla., jumped off and fled on foot, Soldan said. A short while later, Baker was apprehended by a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper in Salina's Lum Felton Park at the south end of the N. Broadway Boulevard viaduct.
Soldan said the 2022 Gator, valued at $22,000, was reported stolen from Prairieland Partners, 2401 Northview Road, in McPherson County. It is believed that Baker drove the Gator from that location to where it became disabled just west of Salina. The Gator had 49 miles on it, Soldan said.
Baker was arrested on the following requested charges, Soldan said.
●Flee and elude
●Possession of stolen property
●Driving while suspended
●Trespassing on railroad property