By Matt Unruh ~ Great Bend Post
GREAT BEND – A man who was at large after a police chase through Barton County Wednesday evening, was found and arrested Thursday morning.
The Barton County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop 29-year-old Nicholas Curtice who was driving a Honda motorcycle at SE 60 Avenue and East Barton County Road. Deputies recognized Curtice, who has an active warrant through Barton County District Court.
He was also allegedly driving above the posted speed limit on SE 60 Avenue. He began to flee driving west on East Barton Count Road at a high rate of speed. A female passenger was also riding with Curtice as he fled towards Great Bend. He laid the motorcycle over at Kiowa Road and Highway 56 where the female subject rolled away from the motorcycle, and Curtice began to flee on the bike again.
Great Bend Police assisted the female passenger who refused medical treatment, while Barton County deputies continued the chase. He then allegedly fled through the southeast parts of Great Bend, going off road many times, and then traveling south on highway 281, going approximately 5-miles south of Great Bend, where he went off road with the bike again. He fled east on SE 60 Road, and deputies caught up with him at SE 60 Rd, and SE 20 Avenue. continued to SE 60 Avenue where he fled into a field and officers lost visual at that time.
Kansas Highway Patrol Air Support found him again at SE 30 Road and 70 Avenue. Curtice then reportedly fled through several fields and abandoned the motorcycle in the 300 block of SE 70 Avenue and fled on foot into a wooded area. Air support assisted in locating the bike but was unable to locate Curtice Wednesday evening.
Aound 9:20 a-m Thursday, Barton County Dispatch received a call of an individual matching the description of suspect. The report said the male subject was seen in the farmyard of 896 SE 20 Avenue. Deputies responded to the area and the man fled on foot north into a tree row. A perimeter was set up, and the subject was contained in the area, and he was eventually arrested.
Charges include felony flee and eluding, as well as the outstanding warrant for failing to appear.
Additional charges are pending.
Assisting agencies were the Kansas Highway Patrol, Ellinwood Police Department, Ellinwood EMS, Hoisington Police Department, and the Pawnee County sheriff’s office.