A Crime Stoppers tip led to the arrest of a Great Bend man who now faces charges in the July assault of a Great Bend city employee working on the flood control levy.
Great Bend Police Chief Dean Akings said the case against the 19-year-old has been forwarded to Barton County Attorney Doug Matthews. The official charges remain to be determined, but will likely include aggravated assault, which is a felony.
The suspect’s name is not being released.
“We did get phone calls that led to interviews,” Akings said. They tracked down the suspect who confessed.
According to the police chief, a crew of Great Bend Public Works Department employees were working on the levy near the Kiowa Road entrance on July 25. Late in the morning, they noticed a motorcycle rider riding illegally on the dike and advised him to leave.
However, Akings said, there was a verbal exchange between one of the workers and the rider (now the suspect). The rider then rode directly at the worker, spinning out and throwing sand at him.
There is another message here.
“We want people to know that the river is a good recreational area,” Akings said. “We just want them to use it safely and legally.”
Akings said a member of the city council who bikes in the area and Mayor Mike Allison want residents to understand the laws. It just takes one or two violators to mar the reputation of those who follow the rules.
Currently, there are no legal access points to the Arkansas River within the Great Bend city limits for the motorized vehicles, said Public Works Director Don Craig. “We’re working on local access and eventually, there will be designated areas to get to the river.”
So, unfortunately, a lot of riders merely cut the fence and come through where the want.
“We spend a lot of time fixing fences,” he said. His staff stays busy repairing the damage and doesn’t have time to get to the new entrances.
Motorcyclists and all-terrain vehicle riders are welcome to ride along the river. But, the levies are off limits by city ordinance, Craig said.
 The dikes are made of sand with a six-inch layer of dirt on top. Motorized vehicles cut ruts into that dirt all the way down to the core.
With a major rain, “the dike could wash out,” Craig said. “We are trying to keep the integrity of the dike intact.”