Kansas state Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop is facing five criminal charges after his arrest earlier in March.
Suellentrop was arrested by Kansas Highway Patrol at about 1 a.m. on March 16 for allegedly driving the wrong way on Interstate 470 in Topeka.
He was arrested and charged with five offenses, including a felony offense for trying to elude law enforcement while speeding the wrong way on highways in Topeka, Kansas, a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving after the Kansas Highway Patrol turned the case over to Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay’s office, according to WIBW-TV.
A Shawnee County District Court judge released him hours later, arguing the arrest report was missing information required to hold him, but Suellentrop turned himself in to authorities Friday, and the Kansas Republican was freed on a $5,000 bond in under an hour, WIBW-TV reported, citing Shawnee County Jail documents.
State Senate President Ty Masterson and Vice President Rick Wilborn released a statement after Suellentrop’s arrest, saying they will pray for the majority leader.
“This morning, we all learned that Sen. Suellentrop had been arrested and subsequently released without charges. The underlying incident is certainly serious and very unfortunate,” they said. “We will continue to pray for Gene and his family as we gather more information. The Senate continues to do our work on behalf of the people of Kansas.”
No court date is set.
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The Shawnee County District Attorney’s office did not reply to the Washington Examiner’s request for relevant documents.
