photo by: Nick Krug

An officer scans an alleyway while searching for a person of interest on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 between the 1500 block of Massachusetts and New Hampshire streets.

A fugitive wanted on suspicion of drug offenses was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a large-scale police search in eastern Lawrence, which briefly led to a Lawrence middle school being put in a lockdown mode.

Jeremy Cline, 25, of Lawrence was arrested around 12:30 p.m. near the intersection of 16th Street and Haskell Avenue, said Lawrence Police Sgt. Amy Rhoads. He was wanted on several felony and misdemeanor warrants stemming from alleged drug activity and criminal trespassing.

At 10:24 a.m. a patrol officer spotted and stopped Cline around the intersection of 16th and Massachusetts streets, Rhoads said.

“He provided false information about his identity and while the officer was trying to confirm his identity, he fled on foot,” Rhoads said.

In an attempt to find Cline officers stationed themselves between the 1500 and 1700 blocks of Massachusetts and New Hampshire streets.

photo by: Nick Krug

Law enforcement officers walk along 16th Street while scanning an area between Massachusetts and New Hampshire streets on Tuesday, May 17, 2016.

In addition, police contacted administrators at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, 1400 Massachusetts St., who then placed the school on lockdown as a precautionary measure, said Lawrence School District Spokeswoman Julie Boyle.

Unable to find Cline, police left their positions and the school’s lockdown was lifted around 11:30 a.m.

After noon, another patrol officer spotted Cline near an apartment complex near the intersection of 16th and Haskell, Rhoads said. He was arrested and transported to the Douglas County Jail.

Rhoads couldn’t say exactly how long police had been looking for Cline.

“But what I can tell you is that we’ve had a couple incidents with him in the last week that have resulted in him fleeing on foot or in a vehicle,” she said.

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