Stolen Vehicle Turns Fatal for Youth

                On October 27, 2022, Parsons Police Officers were dispatched to US 400 Highway just West of the U.S. 59 Highway Junction to assist Labette County Sheriff's Department with an accident that was a head on collision with a tractor trailer.

                Responding officers found a 2022 GMC Sierra pickup with a 13-year-old juvenile in the driver's seat. Officers rendered lifesaving measures until Labette County EMS arrived at the scene. EMS transported the juvenile to Labette Health to stabilize him before being flown to another facility. The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured but the passenger was evaluated by EMS.

                It was reported that the juvenile was a runaway from Successful Dreams and had then stolen a vehicle from Tom Davis Auto Group before the collision. Kansas Highway Patrol was given the investigation.

                Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, "These crashes are never easy. They are hard for the emergency responder that must work them. They are hard for the community to hear about but most of all they are impossible for the families to comprehend. I have been told that the juvenile did not survive after being transported. This hit our community hard. My sympathies go out to everyone involved. I only hope that this terrible incident learned form to avoid another senseless loss of life."

                The Parsons Police Department was only an assisting agency. Further inquiries should be directed to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

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