Special patrol results in two DUI arrests

Police arrested two people for driving under the influence and issued eight traffic citations Friday night during a targeted patrol of Kansas Highway 10 and U.S. Highway 59.

“It was a pretty slow night,” said Lt. Ken Massey, a spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, which conducted the patrol.

The six officers assigned to the patrol– three on each highway — made a total of 23 stops between 11 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday, Massey said. They issued five speeding tickets and three tickets for moving violations, he said.

Motorcyclist leads police on chase

A 21-year-old motorcyclist taunted police throughout a chase between Baldwin and Lawrence on Sunday night by slowing down occasionally, then speeding off on his 1992 Suzuki when officers got close, authorities said.

Lawrence Police later arrested the man at his home in the 2200 block of Harper Street after spotting a motorcycle that matched the description, said Lt. Ken Massey, a spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Baldwin Police first tried to stop the man about 9 p.m. for having a broken tail light, Massey said, but the motorcyclist sped north toward Lawrence, at times exceeding 100 mph.

Sheriff’s deputies and Highway Patrol troopers became involved in the chase but eventually stopped because of safety concerns, Massey said.

The suspect was arrested shortly before midnight on suspicion of fleeing to elude a police officer, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving, and not having proof of insurance.

Police arrest teen suspected in grass fire

Police arrested a 19-year-old Lawrence man early Tuesday on suspicion of setting a grass fire near the intersection of Clinton Parkway and Crossgate Drive.

An officer saw the man near the scene of the fire and arrested him about 1:30 a.m., according to a report.

Firefighters with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical found two small fires when they arrived at the scene and put them out using a water line from a truck and a hand-held water extinguisher, Division Chief Bill Stark said.

Guilty plea entered on firearms charge

A man charged with firing gunshots at a car driven by a Journal-World newspaper carrier pleaded guilty to a firearms charge Tuesday.

Allen D. Davis, 37, Lawrence, appeared before Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy and pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney’s office dropped a charge of criminal discharge of a weapon as part of the plea agreement.

Murphy accepted Davis’ plea and told him he faced up to 23 months’ imprisonment for the firearms charge, a felony.

A 48-year-old newspaper carrier reported someone fired shots at her car early on the morning of April 30 as she approached All Seasons Tree Service, 1706 N. 1500 Rd. Police later arrested Davis and said he told them he was stationed in the business’s driveway as a guard.

Neighborhoods warned of sexual battery suspect

Residents in neighborhoods close to the Kansas University campus are being asked to be alert to a man suspected in two aggravated burglary and sexual battery incidents.

On a night in June and again in July a man reportedly entered apartments in the 1100 block of Ohio and the 1200 block of Oread Avenue. In both instances doors were unlocked and female victims awoke to find a man lying in bed with them, according to the KU Public Safety Department. There have been other similar incidents elsewhere in the city, officers said.

The suspect in both incidents is described as a light-skinned black man who is about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 145 to 150 pounds.

KU Police say residents should keep doors and windows locked, blinds and curtains closed. Any suspicious activity should be reported to KU Police at 864-5900 or Lawrence Police at 830-7430. Calls can also be taken on the Crime Stoppers hot line, 843-TIPS (8477).