On July 7, 2023, at 8:54 am Officer Mark Raney activated his emergency equipment and tried to initiate a traffic stop on a grey minivan, at the intersection of Broadway and Central for the reasons of the minivan ran two stop signs.   The minivan then fled from Officer Mark Raney and continued to operate without stopping. Off. Raney had prior knowledge that this vehicle was wanted in connection with an Aggravated Assault that occurred on July 5, 2023, and that the vehicle had an illegal registration plate. In that case, Joshua Sharp, 25 years old of Parsons, was wanted for allegedly pointing a firearm at the victim as he drove past the victim's location. There was a witness to this incident that verified the victim's account. As Off. Raney turned around to stop the minivan, it accelerated at a high speed and ran stop signs at 18th and Belmont Ave. and 18th and Corning Ave.

The vehicle continued driving on several streets and not obeying traffic laws, and the vehicle exited the Parsons city limits on Main Street and continued west to the Main Street/ Hwy 400 Junction.  Once at the junction the vehicle continued west on Hwy 400 and reached very high speeds.  The vehicle finally came to a stop in the area of Hwy 400 and County Road 5300 in Montgomery County.

The vehicle was occupied by one individual.  The driver of the vehicle was identified as Joshua Cole Sharp who was found in the vehicle and was taken into custody.  Labette County Sheriff's Office, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, and the Parsons Police Department all played important parts in the apprehension of Joshua Cole.

The Parsons Police Department is requesting the following charges for Joshua Cole Sharp; Illegal Registration, Field to yield, Flee and attempt to Elude, reckless Driving, Excessive Speed, Failure to Signal, Felony Interference Destruction of Evidence, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, No Insurance, Driving while Suspended, Improper Passing, and Felony Interference (Giving False Name) Aggravated Assault from the July 5th investigation.

At the conclusion of the pursuit, a firearm was located. It appeared that prior to pulling over Sharp had disassembled the firearm. Some of the pieces were located inside the vehicle and others were located outside of the vehicle, where Sharp had attempted to discard them to hinder the officer's investigation. Sharp is a convicted felon and restricted from possession of firearms. The firearm located matched the description of the firearm used in the Aggravated Assault on July 5th.

Joshua Cole Sharp will be held until they are seen by a Labette County Judge for their first appearance, there they will be given a bond amount.                           

This continues to be an on-going investigation and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspd.com.

# # # # #