Car chase becomes manhunt
Colorado man found with 8 pounds of marijuana in vehicle
Staff writer
A Colorado man was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and evading law enforcement after leading them on a multi-county car chase-turned-manhunt Monday, that ended in Hillsboro.
Between eight and 10 pounds of marijuana was found in Jonathan R. Hurst’s vehicle when the 26-year-old Aurora, Colorado, native was arrested at 8:50 a.m., according to reports from McPherson and Marion County sheriff’s departments.
Hurst fled officers after a traffic violation at 6:15 a.m. in southern McPherson County.
Hurst crossed into Harvey County before driving back into McPherson County and onto US-56 near Canton.
By 7 a.m., Hurst reached Marion County and drove toward Hillsboro, with McPherson Sheriff’s Department, Kansas Highway Patrol, and Canton police in pursuit.
Hurst turned onto Holly Rd., abandoned a 2001 Cadillac Deville south of US-56 and continued on foot.
Police placed much of Hillsboro on lockdown from 8 to 9 a.m. because Hurst was reported to be armed.
Notifying the community was important so residents could stay out of harm’s way, and contact law enforcement if Hurst was spotted, said Hillsboro police chief Dan Kinning.
“For their own safety, and for us, we need to let them know,” he said. “They’re our eyes and ears a lot of the time.”
Officers from Marion County, including Marion and Hillsboro police, and sheriff’s deputies, set up a perimeter, while Hurst hid south of Dollar General, according to reports.
“He was in town, but just barely,” Kinning said. “It was a heavily wooded area, so it took us a while.”
In addition to those on foot, planes were used to search for Hurst, according to scanner reports.
Hurst was found by law enforcement in an abandoned car south of 3rd St. in Hillsboro, and taken to McPherson County Jail.
In addition to possession of marijuana and evading officers, there was suspicion of transporting an open container, expired registration, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Hurst’s firearm remains missing, Kinning said, and anyone with details is asked to contact law enforcement.