By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
A suspect who allegedly stole a pickup in Hays was arrested after a chase into Trego County early Tuesday morning.
At 5:50 a.m., the Hays Police Department received a report of a red Ford F250 pickup that was taken from the 1200 block of Haney, according to Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler.
A member of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office located the vehicle soon after and attempted to pull over the vehicle on the westbound lane of Interstate 70.
After failing to stop, the suspect was pursued by members of the sheriff's office, HPD and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The chase reached speeds of over 90 mph.
Stops sticks were successfully deployed and the driver — Ryan Alexander Hardey, 20, Hays — was arrested after stopping just inside Trego County on I-70, according to Scheibler.
Hardey was taken into custody on suspicion of fleeing and eluding law enforcement, theft of a motor vehicle, and criminal damage to property.
He has previous convictions of theft, burglary, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia from an incident in January in Marion County.
In March 2018, Hardey was also convicted of contributing to the misconduct of minor, theft, and fleeing and eluding law enforcement from a Barton County incident in October 2017.
The Kansas Department of Community Corrections lists Hardey as an absconder as of Nov. 20.
Scheibler said Hardey should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.