Man arrested on suspicion of fleeing from deputies south of Lawrence; vehicle was connected to strong-arm robbery report

Douglas County deputies on Friday arrested an Oklahoma man who allegedly fled from them after they stopped his car in connection with a reported robbery.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that the strong-arm robbery was reported just after noon at Chick-fil-A, 2735 Iowa St., and that police had connected a silver Dodge Caravan to the incident.

Deputies located the vehicle and stopped it at U.S. 59 and North 1000 Road, south of Lawrence, but the suspect then fled south, according to the release. A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper in the area deployed spikes to disable the vehicle, and it was stopped south of the Baldwin Junction, where the driver was taken into custody.

No injuries were reported, and no other vehicles were damaged.

According to the Douglas County Jail booking log, 26-year-old Charles Harvey Neal of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, was arrested on suspicion of attempting to flee and elude law enforcement and misdemeanor theft.

The release said that the Lawrence Police Department was investigating the robbery report.