OTTAWA COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Ottawa County are investigating a suspect who fled the scene of a Monday evening car accident during a chase by the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday, a trooper on patrol attempted a traffic stop for a license plate violation on a 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer.

The driver, traveling westbound on Treaty Road from U.S. 81, nine miles north of Minneapolis, attempted a right turn, entered the west ditch and struck a pole.

Kristen M. Fox, 36, Oak Ridge, TN., and Edward H Anaya, 24, Los Angeles, were transported to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment.

“Since the accident occurred on a dirt road, KHP and emergency responders were delayed in arriving to the scene,” according to Ben Gardner with the KHP.

Officers didn’t initially realize a third person, the driver William P. Walton III, 30, St. Louis, had fled the accident scene.

On Tuesday afternoon, a rural Ottawa County resident notified law enforcement that someone was near a building on their property.

The KHP established a perimeter, brought in their aircraft and a K-9 and located Walton hiding inside a large freezer. “He was cold but was arrested without incident,” said Gardner.

Walton is being held in Ottawa County and could face charges including Flee and Elude and Driving on a Revoked License. The vehicle was also possibly stolen, according to Gardner.