Photo by: Kansas Department of Justice
Steven Carl Drake II
A Lawrence man currently facing multiple charges of fleeing from police and causing property damage was reportedly behind the wheel again on Monday, driving along the levee path by the river before crashing into a fire hydrant and coming to a stop in a field.
The man, Steven Carl Drake Jr., 49, is charged in Douglas County District Court with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a motor vehicle, fleeing from police, criminal damage and criminal threatening, all felonies, according to jail records. He is also charged with driving without a license, a misdemeanor.
A deputy attempted to stop Drake near Second and Locust streets around 2:40 p.m. Monday in connection with a domestic violence incident in Lawrence, according to a news release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy also knew Drake did not have a valid driver’s license, the news release said.
Instead of stopping, Drake reportedly accelerated and drove away from the deputy toward the southbound lanes of the Kansas River Bridge and then slammed on his brakes, causing a collision with the deputy’s pursuing vehicle, the release said. Drake then reportedly turned east and jumped the median onto Levee Trail in North Lawrence. Sheriff’s Office spokesman George Diepenbrock said in an email to the Journal-World that Drake exited Levee Trail near North Third Street before turning onto Elm Street.
The deputy observed Drake driving through a resident’s yard in the 900 block of Elm Street, damaging a fire hydrant before driving into the adjacent field, where Drake’s vehicle came to a stop and the deputy was able to take him into custody. Drake was evaluated by paramedics and taken to the hospital before being cleared for transfer to jail, the news release said.
Tire tracks can be seen through the yard and into the field across the street from the intersection of North Ninth and Elm Streets in North Lawrence. The damaged hydrant was removed Tuesday morning, leaving a small hole in the ground. The Journal-World has reached out to the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Department to learn more about the hydrant damage and the impact on public safety in the area.
Photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World
Tire tracks leading to a damaged field caused by a vehicle fleeing from police on August 27, 2024 at the corner of N. Ninth and Elm Streets in North Lawrence.
Drake is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing on three counts of fleeing and eluding in Douglas County, involving two incidents in 2022 and another in January.
Drake also faces fleeing and eluding charges in Jefferson County in 2022. He was arrested in Jefferson County earlier this month for failure to appear in court in connection with the 2022 case and was ordered to post $5,000 bail on August 19. His next appearance in the case is scheduled for September 19.
Drake was convicted in Douglas County of fleeing and eluding, endangering a child and theft. In Jefferson County, he was convicted of forgery, obstruction of justice and aggravated interference with parental custody, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records. He was recently acquitted of attempted murder in Douglas County District Court, the Journal-World reported.
