We now have trial dates for two cases against a 50-year-old Hutchinson man. William Runyon is charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and aggravated battery in the more serious case. Judge Trish Rose set a trial date of April 29 for this case.
This involved the kidnapping of a man who considered Runyon a friend and says he went for a ride with Runyon and they ended up near a field on east G, east of Hutchinson.
It was after the victim and Runyon exited the Blazer, that he was allegedly struck in the head by another individual he didn’t know. He says they ended up in field near Salina. He was then beaten some more and placed in the trunk of another vehicle. He says he eventually escaped that vehicle by pushing out the back seat. That vehicle was allegedly driven by 25-year-old Thomas Beatty of Salina. After he escaped, Beatty let him go.
He says as a result of the beatings, his kidneys failed and he also suffered severe bruising of his ribs. He ended up in the hospital in Salina.
Beatty and 27-year-old Chivon Leon of Salina were taken into custody by Salina authorities and face charges there. All this occurring back on September 19.
In the other case, Runyon is charged with felony flee and elude and interference with law enforcement. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing in that case and entered a “not guilty” plea. Judge Rose set a trial date of May 6, for this case.
The flee and elude case involved sheriff investigators being on the lookout for Runyon since the kidnapping incident and occurred back on October 10, when he led law enforcement on a chase that ended when he fled the truck he was in near the scene of a fatal fire and was captured by Hutchinson Police Detectives.
Judge Rose set a motion deadline of March 14, for both cases.
The state also sought to get Judge Rose to order the defendant to provide a DNA sample, but Judge Rose says she doesn’t know a enough about this case to do so, so Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell will have to get a search warrant to have that done.