photo by: Contributed

Nicholas S. Atwell, left, was charged with several felonies in Douglas County District Court on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.

A Lawrence man has been charged with several felonies in connection with a Sunday vehicle pursuit through town that resulted in a manhunt.

Nicholas Atwell, 32, made his first appearance Wednesday in Douglas County District Court, where he was formally charged with aggravated burglary, interference with law enforcement, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and two counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, all of which are felonies. Atwell was also charged with criminal damage to property and transportation of liquor in an open container, both of which are misdemeanors.

According to a charging document provided to the Journal-World, the charges of aggravated assault are the result of Atwell allegedly putting two police officers in danger with the use of a deadly weapon, which is listed as his vehicle. The aggravated burglary charge is the result of Atwell allegedly entering a home in the 900 block of New Jersey St. without authority to do so and with the “intent to commit a felony.”

During the hearing on Wednesday, a judge set a $50,000 cash or surety bond, according to court records. As of Thursday morning, Atwell was still in the custody of the Douglas County Jail.

Atwell was arrested at his home around 4:45 p.m. Monday. The arrest came a day after Lawrence police and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office swarmed an East Lawrence neighborhood in an hourslong, unsuccessful search for the driver.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World Photo

Lawrence police and sheriff’s deputies are stationed at the intersection of 10th and Pennsylvania Sunday evening, apparently in pursuit of a suspect who fled on foot.

As the Journal-World reported, the pursuit began about 7 p.m. Sunday, when officers were dispatched to The Bourgeois Pig, 6 E. Ninth St., in reference to two intoxicated subjects parked in front of the business and drinking inside the vehicle, according to Lt. David Ernst, a police spokesman. As an officer approached on foot, the vehicle fled the area. A pursuit then ensued — passing through downtown and other parts of central Lawrence — and ultimately ended near the intersection of 10th and New Jersey streets.

The driver fled the area on foot and was not located at the time. The passenger in the vehicle was interviewed by police and then released.

Ernst said that after the driver fled, police were informed that the driver entered the mudroom of a residence in the 900 block of New Jersey Street and tried to force entry into the kitchen area.

Multiple neighbors told the Journal-World that a man in a silver Chevrolet crossed Connecticut Street, then abandoned his car, which had visible damage, on 10th Street next to New York Elementary. A K-9 unit was called in for the neighborhood search.

According to the state’s offender registry, Atwell was previously convicted of drug charges and attempted rape and is currently on parole.