Authorities identify 2 killed in Reno County crash

Authorities have identified two men killed in south-central Kansas when the car they were in collided with a tractor-trailer during a police chase.

Newton Police Chief Eric Murphy told The Hutchinson News (http://j.mp/2g0stHj) the two men were being pursued Friday on U.S. 50 because of a report that they shoplifted about $600 of merchandise from a discount store. He says the car they were in also had a stolen tag.

The two men were killed when their car hit a tractor-trailer while authorities were pursuing them.

The Kansas Highway Patrol identifies the two men as 27-year-old Wendell Lue Hicks III and 48-year-old Lee Francis Billinger.

Murphy says during the chase, the fleeing vehicle drove at speeds from 80 to 115 mph before it slid sideways into the tractor-trailer.


Information from: The Hutchinson (Kan.) News, http://www.hutchnews.com.