SHAWNEE COUNTY —A Kansas felon is recovering from injuries after a crash during a police chase in Shawnee County.
Just after 9p.m. December 27, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received notification of a theft at a business in the 2600 block of NW Rochester Road, according to Sheriff Brian Hill.
A deputy located the suspect's red Chevrolet Blazer northbound in the 4000 Block NW Rochester Road in Topeka.
The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle near NW 46th Street and NW Topeka Boulevard, but the driver refused to stop, initiating a pursuit.
The driver, later identified as 52-year-old Clifford H. Swarthout, Jr., continued southbound on NW Topeka Boulevard and then westbound on NW 39th Street. The driver failed to negotiate the T-intersection at NW Button Road and left the roadway.
The vehicle came to rest in the trees on it’s side. Both occupants were extricated from the vehicle and taken to a local hospital by American Medical Response (AMR) with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Topeka Police Department handled the female passenger in regards to the initial theft. The male driver, Clifford H. Swarthout Jr., 52, of Topeka, was taken into custody and once released from the hospital will be booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on the following requested charges Aggravated battery; Flee or attempt to elude law enforcement and Driving while license suspended.
Swarthout has numerous previous felony convictions that include forgery, theft, burglary and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.