The man Lawrence police say fled Sunday night in a stolen pickup with three children inside is now facing seven criminal charges.

On Tuesday, Joshua D. Smith, 35, of Lawrence, was charged in Douglas County District Court with endangering three children and other crimes stemming from the incident.

Smith is charged with three counts of aggravated child endangerment, a felony, for causing a 17-year-old, a 10-year-old and a 5-year-old to be in a situation where their lives or health were endangered, according to the charging document.

Joshua D. Smith

He is charged with one count of theft, also a felony, for stealing a pickup truck valued at more than $25,000, which he had in his possession from Oct. 12 until Sunday, according to the charges.

He also is charged with one count of fleeing police, a felony, and one count each of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors, according to the charges.

According to Lawrence police, the pursuit began about 10:30 p.m. Sunday on Industrial Lane in North Lawrence, when an officer tried to pull over the truck because it was reported stolen. The truck’s driver instead got onto eastbound Interstate 70 and was pursued onto southbound Kansas Highway 7, at Bonner Springs, about 25 miles away.

With help from the Kansas Highway Patrol, officers stopped the truck on K-7, and a “brief foot pursuit occurred,” Lawrence police said.

According to police, officers took the driver into custody and discovered three juveniles had been in the car, along with drugs and a stolen gun.

Smith was not charged with any firearms crime, however.

Smith made his first appearance in court on Tuesday afternoon, according to the DA’s office.