An Emporia man stands accused of using his SUV in an aggravated assault incident on the Kansas Turnpike from this past weekend.
Phillip Scott Lieurance, 35, has his first appearance in Lyon County District Court shortly after 1 pm Wednesday. He faces single counts of aggravated assault, flee and elude, reckless driving and “violation of duty of driver upon damaging an unattended vehicle or other property.”
Affidavits, or law enforcement narratives, are not posted to the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal. However, Lieurance is accused of using his SUV to assault Nickolai Christensen-Thomsen. Besides allegedly fleeing from law enforcement, Lieurance is also accused of using his SUV to damage another SUV and then essentially failing to stop and provide his driver’s registration or other information to James Merrill Gardner, the owner of the second SUV.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says Lieurance was allegedly involved in a chase with local law enforcement Sunday afternoon before authorities ended the pursuit. Troopers also say Lieurance hit the second SUV several times before a crash on the Turnpike just outside the Emporia service exit, five miles northeast of the Emporia tollgate, late Sunday night. Lieurance and five people from the second SUV were all treated at Newman Regional Health and released.
