By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
A Salina man was arrested after allegedly leading police on a chase through multiple parts of the city early Sunday morning, sometimes at speeds as high as 70 mph.
Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning that at approximately 1:15 a.m. Sunday, an officer spotted a gold 2005 Pontiac Bonneville in the 400 block of N. Broadway Boulevard. The officer ran the license plate on the car and found that it had expired in November 2020.
The officer then attempted to stop the car near the intersection of N. Broadway Boulevard/University Place, but the car took off, driving on many streets during the pursuit, Forrester said. While driving south on S. Broadway Boulevard, the car reached speeds up to 55 mph. South of the intersection with W. Crawford Street, speeds reached 70 mph, Forrester said.
The car turned east on W. Cloud Street, driving on a number of streets in the area before turning north on S. Fourth Street. The car then turned on Center Street and went west to S. Fifth Street, where it turned north. It then went east on E. Walnut and then turned north at some point, eventually making it to E. Iron Avenue, where it turned west, traveling at 65 mph, Forrester said.
Officers attempted to deploy stop-sticks near the intersection of W. Iron Avenue/11th Street, but the car drove around them and headed toward W. Crawford Street, where it turned west, Forrester said. It then drove through the neighborhood north of Sunset Park and headed westbound on Franklin Street before heading south to W. Cloud Street, where it turned east, reaching 80 mph, Forrester said.
The pursuit ended when the car left the roadway and struck a tree near the intersection of E. Cloud Street and Lewis Avenue. The driver identified as Jesse Wray, 23, of Salina, exited the car and took off running northbound on Lewis Avenue, Forrester said. He was found a short while later in the backyard of a residence in the 900 block of Russell Avenue.
Forrester said that when the car was searched, officers allegedly found drug paraphernalia, 67 grams of marajuana, and 30.3 grams of methamphetamine. Wray was arrested on the following requested charges, Forrester said.
●Possession of narcotics
●Two counts of no drug tax stamp
●Two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia
●Felony obstruction
●Felony flee and elude
●Failing to report an accident
●Multiple traffic violations