A manhunt continues for Iolan Aaron C. Hutton, wanted in connection with an armed robbery in Iola Wednesday morning.
A man matching the description of Hutton, 35, was last spotted late Wednesday floating down the Neosho River, grasping onto a log, where he fled after being chased by officers through a residential neighborhood in Humboldt.
All Chanute USD 413 schools were ordered locked down at 8 o?clock this morning after a person matching Hutton?s description was spotted near the Lincoln Early Learning Center, in the 1000 block of West Main Street. An announcement that the lockdown was lifted came at about 10:30.
No other information was available at press time.
THE TROUBLE started shortly before 11:30 a.m., when a masked man matching Hutton?s description robbed at gunpoint an undetermined amount of cash from Advance America, a payday loan business at 523 N. State St. He then took off with the employee?s vehicle, a dark gray Subaru Forester.
Officers initially went north of town, after somebody spotted a vehicle resembling the Subaru?s description.
However, that search was quickly abandoned when Hutton was seen shortly after noon, going door-to-door in Humboldt, attempting to enter a number of houses.
The suspect then took off when spotted by law enforcement. He was chased about two blocks to the banks of the Neosho River, where he remained hidden for a short while, before being seen jumping into the water.
The suspect tossed a backpack onto the river bank as he jumped into the water, Sheriff Bryan Murphy noted.
The backpack contained cash, a mask and a gun.
From there, officers kept tabs on the low-speed chase, aided overhead by a Kansas Highway Patrol helicopter.
Meanwhile, officers from Iola, Allen County, Humboldt, Neosho County, Chanute, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and KHP followed along on both sides of the river, a task easier said than done, noted Iola Police Chief Jared Warner.
Thick brush along the muddy, rocky banks, made traversing the route a chore.
K-9 units from Chanute and KHP also were on hand, Warner noted.
The suspect was heard on multiple occasions asking officers to ?just shoot me,? according to police radio chatter.
