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Pawsitively Groomed K-9s on South Kansas Avenue will be closed for several days, the result of a stolen vehicle crashing into the building following a high speed chase across two counties.  At about 11 p.m. Saturday night a stolen Pontiac Grand Am crashed in the building, ending a high speed chase which officially started in Valley Center. The highway patrol reports the driver, Madison J. Pruisner, 18 of Newton, and her passenger, Jay Michael Betts, 30, also of Newton, were injured and taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. They were listed in critical condition. According to Mark Hephner, chief of police in Valley Center, An off-duty police officer in Park City saw the car driving erratically and used his radio to broadcast the car description.  “He saw the car driving on the wrong side of the road,” Hephner said. “He was concerned enough he broadcast a description of the car.”  A Valley Center officer spotted the car on Broadway near Valley Center, and after several attempts was able to get the vehicle pulled over in the 10000 block of Broadway northeast Valley Center.  When a second car arrived, officers asked for the driver to get out of the car —and she refused. Officers used a tazer to try and subdue the driver. A tazer gun issues a five second electrical jolt to incapacitate a person. At the end of that five seconds, Pruisner put the car in drive and sped off.  “An officer had his arms through the window to try and get her out of the car,” Hephner said. “He was injured. The officer on the passenger side, the car drove over his foot.”  Hephner said shots were fire at the car at that time. The Kansas Bureau of Investigations is investigating the shots fired at the vehicle. The car sped away, leading officers on about an 13 mile chase which included speeds of more than 100 miles an hour within the Newton city limits.

Harvey County Sheriff’s deputies joined the chase at the Harvey County line. “The suspects drove around two sets of our stop sticks at about 100 miles an hour,” said Craig Dunlevy of the Newton Police department. “The car lost control at about southeast third and struck a utility pole.  Newton Police are investigating the theft of the car — one that was not reported prior to the accident or chase. According to Craig Dunlevy of the Newton Police Department, the owner of the vehicle thought the car was being used by family members.  “He wasn’t concerned until we contacted him,” Dunlevy said.  Officers told the owner who was in the car, and at that point reported the car as stolen.   The car was stolen from Newton.  The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. Traffic charges could be filed in either Sedgwick or Harvey County. Criminal charges are pending as well.  “We are conferring with the Sedgwick County District Attorney for potential charges against the driver,” Hephner said. “The traffic charges will be filed, they highway patrol is pursing that.” Hephner said both of the officers are OK. The officer whose foot was run over was take for a medical examination, and his foot was not injured. (By Chad Frey for The Newton Kansan, Newton Kansas.  May 27, 2012).