The Barton County Sheriff’s Office arrested Eric Duerksen, 23, of Great Bend on Wednesday after a manhunt. Duerksen was wanted for questioning in the armed robbery that reportedly took place at Stone Lake earlier that day. He was also wanted on parole violation warrants, Sheriff Brian Bellendir said.
According to reports, the Sheriff’s Office worked with agents from the Kansas State Parole Office and the United States Marshals Service in the search. After several hours of surveillance and other law enforcement techniques, Duerksen was believed to be in a residence at 1024 Odell St. in Great Bend.
Officers surrounded the residence and closed the 1000 block of Odell Street for about an hour Wednesday evening. At about 7 p.m. detectives made telephone contact with Duerksen, who was inside. Duerksen consented to exit the residence and was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to the Barton County Jail where he was booked on the parole violation warrants and is being held without bond on the state warrants. Duerksen was also booked a charge of aggravated robbery, with bond on that charge set at $100,000.

The robbery
The alleged robbery occurred around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday at Stone Lake. The victim told Great Bend Police officers he made arrangements to meet another man to sell property that he had advertised online. When they arrived at Stone Lake the suspect allegedly pulled a handgun and demanded his property. The victim said he gave his property to the individual and was not injured. The suspect then got into a late 1990s Chevy Silverado pickup that was driven by another male and left.