GUILTY KS - Cpl. Jason Harwood, 40, fatally shot, Topeka, 7 Sept 2014

The Shawnee County Sheriff's Office says Corporal Jason Harwood pulled a car over for a traffic stop and during the course of the stop, at least one of the three occupants fired at the officer.

A witness said that her daughter saw the officer shot in the chest. The woman says she rushed over and called 911 on the officer's radio...

Harwood was treated at the scene, then taken to a local hospital where he later died.

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A convicted felon was charged Monday with gunning down a Topeka, Kan., police officer, and a second man with helping the alleged killer escape on a stolen motorcycle.

A judge ordered Ross Preston Lane, 30, held without bail. Lane was charged with the capital murder of a law enforcement officer and weapons charges, including possession of a gun by a felon...

Randy Allen Ridens, Jr., 30, was charged with aiding a felon, obstruction of justice, and theft. His bail was set at $1 million.

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In affidavits from law enforcement, a passenger who was in the car with Lane says he noticed Lane was speeding and told him to slow down, but then a law enforcement vehicle pulled in behind them with its lights on. The passenger, whose name was removed from the document, says Lane started saying, "I'm not going back to prison," then pulled a gun from between the seats and set it on his lap.

In the affidavit, Lane told detectives that Cpl. Harwood approached the driver's side window, and, as the officer started to say something, Lane fired several shots. The passenger told detectives that as he saw Lane start to lift the gun, the passenger told him, "No, no, don't," then turned his head and heard three to four gunshots.

Lane told detectives he had been using methamphetamine approximately two hours before the shooting.

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Witnesses will take the stand Tuesday in Shawnee County District Court to testify about the killing of Topeka Police Cpl. Jason Harwood in September during a traffic stop in East Topeka.

The preliminary hearing of Ross Preston Lane, the man charged as the gunman in the shooting death of Harwood, is expected to last one day, perhaps extending into Wednesday.

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Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor says there's enough evidence to seek the death penalty against Lane. Much of that evidence was presented in court today, and it was enough for Judge Parish to bind lane over for trial.

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Randy Ridens was scheduled to enter a plea last week to charges of obstruction of justice and possession of stolen property.

However, court records show the hearing was delayed because both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed with a report that Ridens is incompetent to stand trial.

The court record shows Ridens is committed to Larned State Hospital and will be re-evaluated within the next 90 days.

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Randy Allen Ridens Jr., 32, received two consecutive prison terms totaling 27 months during a hearing in Shawnee County District Court.

Ridens pleaded guilty Nov. 9 to obstructing justice and possession of stolen property — a Harley-Davidson motorcycle — which are felonies...

The sentencing comes five days after Lane was found dead in his cell at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. His death is being investigated.

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