By James Bell
Hays Post

Two suspects that allegedly robbed Casey’s convenience store in Ellis, followed by a manhunt in Hays, made their first appearance in court this morning.

A bond was set for $100,000 for each on probable cause of aggravated robbery and felony possession of stolen property.

Both Shannon Geoffrey Smith, 26, Wilmer, Alabama and Jessie Dewayne Holland, 29, Saraland, Alabama, had outstanding warrants in Alabama and were told even if they made the local bond, they would be held on the Alabama warrants.

Smith’s warrant in Alabama is from the Mobile Sheriff’s Department on a Sept. 2015 robbery and Holland is wanted on various probation violations, also from the Mobile Sheriff’s Department according to Tom Dress, Ellis County Attorney.

Drees has been given until Jan. 8 to file formal charges.

He also asks residents to remember all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The events that led to the arrests began at Casey’s, 213 Washington St., Ellis, shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday, when the pair allegedly robbed the location armed with a shotgun and a semi-automatic rifle.

They fled the scene in a vehicle stolen from Englewood, Colorado, making their way into Hays.

They fled from Hays Police Department officers after being spotted on U.S Highway 183 Alternate, but crashed the vehicle trying to enter onto I-70. The suspects then fled on foot.

A subsequent search was conducted by Hays, Ellis, Victoria Police Departments, the Kansas Highway Patrol, Russell and Ellis County Sheriff’s and the Fort Hays Police Department with the assistance of a KHP ariel unit.

Smith was found around 8:30 p.m. in a drainage ditch along I-70 and Holland was found later, just after 11 p.m. hiding in a Kansas Department of Transportation vehicle near the scene.