OTTAWA – A 50-year-old Lawrence man’s flight from Lawrence police came to earth with a crash at the I-35 and U.S. 59 interchange northeast of Ottawa at about 2:15 a.m. today. Lawrence police said Nelson Higgins took off after being stopped by officers for suspicion of drunken driving. Police says he rear-ended one patrol car, injuring one officer. Nelson drove the pickup from Lawrence while being pursued at high speed, when he lost control and his truck left the road on the entrance ramp from U.S. 59, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said. The truck ran down into a ditch and through a barbed wire fence. One other Lawrence officer received minor injuries during his arrest, Lawrence police said. Nelson wasn’t injured. He was booked into the Douglas County jail on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, failing to report an accident, reckless driving, aggravated battery of a law enforcement office with a motor vehicle, fleeing and eluding, failure to stop for an accident, and interference with a law enforcement officer.
Saturday, Jan. 7, 3 p.m.
