The preliminary hearing for a 50-year-old Hutchinson man arrested in October for allegedly being involved in a robbery and beating case that started in Reno County and ended in Saline County is scheduled for Thursday.
William Runyon is charged with felony flee and elude, interference with law enforcement in one case and aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery in a second. This involves the case of a man being able to escape the trunk of a vehicle in Salina. That was back on September 21.
The flee and elude case involved sheriff investigators being on the lookout for Runyon since the kidnapping incident.
Sheriff officials got word back on October 10, that he might be at a residence in the 200 block of West 15th. As they approached the black work truck he was in, he backed up in the alley onto Adams and nearly struck vehicles on that street. He then led law enforcement on a chase on Adams and Main, and various side streets. He ended up on west 19th, where he ran the barricades near where officials were working a fatal fire. He couldn’t get through because of the fire trucks, so he stopped and ran from the vehicle. Hutchinson Police detectives were at scene of the fire and took off after him. They were able to stop him in the driveway of a nearby residence.
The state had earlier indicated that they may need two hours or more for the hearing. As always, hearings scheduled in District Court are subject to continuances or delays.