photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Mason Duane Robinson is pictured during a hearing on April 6, 2023, in Douglas County District Court. Robinson is charged with distributing a controlled substance causing death in connection with the fentanyl overdose death of Angelyca Cowdin on April 14, 2022.

A Lawrence man who was on bond in connection with a fentanyl death case and several other felony cases was arrested Monday after allegedly leading law enforcement on a chase through the county before crashing into a parked motorcycle.

A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a 2018 black GMC Acadia around 8:15 p.m. Monday for speeding near East 1200 and North 1800 roads north of Lawrence, according to a release from the sheriff’s office. The vehicle fled the scene and the deputy pursued to North 1750 Road and North Iowa Street, where the deputy stopped chasing the vehicle.

A short time later police received a report of the vehicle striking a parked motorcycle in the 1100 block of George Court. The report indicated that three people ran from the vehicle after the crash.

A Lawrence police officer then located the man believed to be the driver, Mason Duane Robinson, 28, in the 100 block of Florida Street, according to the release. He was arrested on suspicion of fleeing from police, criminal damage, theft of a vehicle and interference with law enforcement, all felonies. He was also booked for failure to appear in connection with four municipal violations.

A Eudora woman also believed to be in the vehicle during the pursuit, Samantha Besser, 30, was taken into custody later that night by Eudora police, according to the release. Besser was arrested on suspicion of violating her probation. She was granted probation in 2022 with an underlying sentence of one year for one misdemeanor count each of endangering a child and drug possession, according to court records.

Robinson is currently on bond for one count of distribution of a controlled substance leading to death. The charge is in connection with the death of Angelyca LeAnn Cowdin, 23, of Lawrence, who died of acute fentanyl intoxication on April 14, 2022, as the Journal-World reported. His codefendant in that case, William Martin Byrd, 38, pleaded no contest in October 2022 to one count of distribution of fentanyl under 3.5 grams. His charge was reduced from distribution of a controlled substance leading to death after he agreed to testify against Robinson.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

William Martin Byrd at a hearing on Aug. 18, 2023, in Douglas County District Court. Byrd was originally charged with distribution of a controlled substance causing death but pleaded to the lesser felony of distribution of fentanyl as part of a an agreement with the state where he agreed to testify against his co-defendant, Mason Robinson.

Robinson is also on bond for felony vehicle theft in connection with a June 2023 incident; felony vehicle theft for a July 2023 incident; felony theft of two motorcycles for a September 2023 incident; and possession of fentanyl for another incident in July of 2023.

Robinson has been free in the fentanyl death case on a $100,000 bond that was initially a paid surety bond that he posted in January 2023. His bond was revoked after multiple counts of theft in the summer of 2023, but his attorney, Angela Keck, moved to convert the bond into an own-recognizance bond in September 2023. Judge Sally Pokorny granted the own-recognizance bond, meaning Robinson would not have to pay any more money to be released. Robinson also has a $2,500 own-recognizance bond in each of his vehicle theft cases and is free on a $15,000 surety bond in connection with the motorcycle thefts. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on all four cases on April 26.

Robinson is currently being held on an additional $9,500 bond in connection with his Monday arrest, according to the jail booking log.

He has additional convictions in Douglas County for felony criminal threat in 2017 and felony counts of burglary and flee and elude in 2018, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records.