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Two people injured as one driver flees
Chism arrested after fleeing crash scene
Timothy Charles Chism
Timothy Charles Chism - photo by Kansas Department of Corrections


The search for Timothy Chism, the man who fled the scene of an injury crash Thursday evening, has ended, Sheriff Brian Bellendir said. Chism was arrested Friday afternoon.

Chism, 38, fled the scene Thursday evening after two vehicles collided near Railroad Ave. and Patton Road, south of Great Bend, Bellendir said. Two people were injured, with one going to a Wichita hospital.

The Barton County Sheriff’s Office announced officers were looking for Chism. He was arrested by sheriff’s deputies at a residence in Great Bend at about 2 p.m. Friday and charged with leaving the scene of an injury accident and Registered Offender Violations.

Bellendir said deputies were notified of an injury crash in the 5600 block of Railroad Ave., just south of the Great Bend city limits, around 8:45 p.m.

“Investigation at the scene indicates a blue 2008 Dodge Caravan was westbound, operated by the driver who fled (later identified as Chism),” Bellendir reported. It crossed left of center and struck a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox operated by Amanda Staub of Hudson.

Staub and a passenger in the Chism vehicle, Mary Schlotthauer of Great Bend, both received injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, Bellendir said. Staub was transported to the University of Kansas Health System - Great Bend campus and was later transported to a Wichita hospital. Schlotthauer was treated at the scene and declined transportation to the hospital.

Bellendir noted that Chism has been previously booked into the Barton County Jail 52 times and was in Community Corrections at the time of the crash.

The Kansas Department of Corrections’ website KASPER – Kansas Adult Supervised Population Electronic Repository – shows Chism has previous convictions in Ellis and Barton County for crimes that include lewd and lascivious behavior, misdemeanor theft, drug possession, criminal possession of a weapon and drug possession with intent to distribute.


This is an updated version of a story that ran earlier.  See the original story here.