Betrayed by own Facebook page, chase suspect sits in Lyon County jail

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By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)

Originally published 01:19 p.m., June 20, 2008
Updated 01:19 p.m., June 20, 2008

A suspect who ran from police on foot at the end of a road chase early Thursday morning and was identified by his own posting on Facebook.com inadvertently turned himself in late Thursday morning at the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.

The man, Clinton Tyler Prose of rural Lyon County, went to the sheriff’s office to report that his pickup truck had been stolen, Emporia Police Chief Gary Smith said.

“So, in addition to three flat tires, a confiscated firearm, and a number of other things, he is now sitting in the Lyon County Gray Bar Motel and will have time for introspection,” Smith said.

Prose turned 26 on Wednesday.

The chase began about 1 a.m., when police officer Harold Keiss heard squealing tires and racing engines around 12th Avenue and Industrial Road.

“So, he checked around and found a GMC gray pickup tearing around the area ...,” Smith said.

The driver spun the truck’s tires and exhibited reckless driving.

“(Keiss) made an attempt to pull it over and it took off on him,” Smith said.

The chase went north on Industrial to 18th Avenue and over to Prairie Street, before extending farther north and into the county. The pursuit, which lasted 20 to 30 minutes, eventually involved Emporia Police officers, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department, the Emporia State University Police, and the Kansas Highway Patrol. The KHP called in its helicopter to help in the effort to locate the man after he left the truck and ran into a wooded area.

“Really, speeds never got much over about 60 because it’s gravel roads,” Smith said.

Officers had a license plate number to run through computer records; that led them to believe the man was heading to his house.

“They finally just put out the stop sticks and deflated his tires,” Smith said.

The suspect bailed out of his truck near Burlingame Road, about a quarter of a mile from Prose’s home.

“So they called the dogs out to track him, because by now it’s a felony,” Smith said. “There was some concern because when they checked his vehicle he had a loaded handgun in the car.”

One of the ESU officers who had seen the suspect went to the Facebook.com Web site to see if he could link the vehicle owner with the face he had seen.

“Sure enough, this guy was kind enough to put a Facebook entry on himself,” Smith said. “Essentially we now have a complaint with the county attorney’s office.”

Smith said he was pleased with the performance of the EPD and other officers.

“They comported themselves like professionals,” he said.