Police find suspect hiding in empty house

A Lawrence man wanted on several warrants ran from police and hid under the covers of a bed in an unlocked Pinckney neighborhood house with no one home Friday evening before being discovered.

Police had responded to a domestic disturbance call around 7:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Mississippi Street but found nothing to require them to detain the man.

Just as he was being released, officers discovered the warrants, issued locally. At that time, the man ran and led police on a chase.

An officer following the suspect noticed that the back door of a house in the 400 block of Indiana Street was open and investigated.

Curt Melzer, the homeowner, said police called him to say he apparently had left the back door of the house open, which allowed the suspect to enter.

Inside, the suspect was laying in a bed and trying to hide with bedsheets, Melzer said.

The man, whose identity was not available late Friday night, was booked into Douglas County Jail, a police spokeswoman said.

Special Olympics cyclists to compete

The Kansas Northeast Area Spring Games for Special Olympics athletes get under way today with cycling events in Lawrence.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m. at Hallmark, 101 McDonald Drive. The event is free and open to the public.

Forty-three athletes will represent programs from Ottawa, Emporia, Johnson County and Olathe.

Competition begins at 9:15 a.m. and is expected to end by 1 p.m. Athletes will cycle in 500-meter, 1-kilometer, 3-kilometer and 5-kilometer races.

Upcoming state Special Olympics competitions:

• April 24: aquatics and powerlifting, 100 participants, Manhattan.
• May 8: track and field, 450 participants, Topeka.
• June 4-6: Summer Games, statewide, Wichita.

Pancake feed benefits Arc of Douglas County

A benefit pancake feed for The Arc of Douglas County will feature the buttermilk pancake recipe from the former Paradise Cafe. The benefit is from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. today at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1234 Ky.

Sausage and coffee also will be served. Cost is $5 per adult, $2 for children 6 to 12 years old and free for children younger than 6.

The Arc of Douglas County works to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities.

Sophomore to lead KU student body

Kansas University students elected sophomore Steve Munch as their president in voting that ended Thursday.

KUnited coalition member Munch and his vice presidential candidate, Jeff Dunlap, defeated Delta Force coalition candidates Blake Swenson and Kevin McKenzie by about 900 votes.

This is the third straight year KUnited candidates have topped Delta Force candidates. Of 66 total Senate seats filled, 48 were members of KUnited.

Students also voted to pass two of three referendums on the ballot. With those successes, Student Senate will abolish polling sites for next year’s election and enact a campus recycling program.

Students said no to a referendum for a study abroad scholarship, which would cost each student $4 per semester.

Tire explosion sends worker to hospital

McLouth — A McLouth man is recovering after a car tire exploded in his face about 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The tire apparently exploded while the man was working at McLouth Tire, a spokesman from the McLouth Union Township Fire Department said. There was no shield in place to protect the tire worker, the spokesman said.

The man was taken by air ambulance to a Kansas City-area hospital, the source said.

A spokesman from the University of Kansas Hospital could not confirm or deny whether the man had been admitted. Neither the Jefferson County Ambulance Service nor the Fire Department could provide further details of the incident.