An Oklahoma man was arrested following a lengthy police pursuit in Cowley County early Thursday morning.

Jay T. Laymon, from Stillwater, was arrested on 232nd Rd. west of Cowley 3 after fleeing police for almost an hour in two separate chases that covered more than 70 miles of Cowley County roads, streets and highways.

Winfield Police Officer Tom Campbell attempted to stop the dark blue Dodge pickup Laymon was driving after observing the truck traveling over 50 mph in a 35 mph zone on South Main in Winfield at 12:31 this morning. The pickup pulled into the Dillon's parking lot, appearing to pull over to comply with Campbell, according to a Winfield Police Department press release.

Rather than staying stopped, the truck sped off, heading southbound out of Winfield on U.S. 77 and reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph. Additional Winfield Police officers and Cowley County Sheriff's deputies joined Campbell in attempting to get Laymon to stop the truck.

A female passenger was observed trying to get Laymon to stop the truck, but her attempts - as well as the attempts of the police - were not enough to convince him to stop running.

Laymon continued south on U.S. 77 until arriving at Strother Field, where he led authorities on a wild course through the industrial park and municipal airport. At one point, it was reported Laymon had driven the truck onto the tarmac, or runway.

After finding his way out of Strother Field, Laymon crossed over U.S. 77 and continued east onto Cowley 20 (212th Rd.), where he led authorities down several county roads. Laymon traveled down several roads that had no outlet, forcing him to take the pickup through fields and pastures in the Magnolia Ranch area.

Laymon reportedly turned off his headlights in an attempt to slip from the grip of the pursuing patrol cars.

Authorities continued chasing Laymon southbound on 101st toward U.S. 166, just east of Arkansas City. At this point, all Winfield Police officers withdrew from the pursuit, leaving the deputies in command.

The chase continued south on 101st, crossing over U.S. 166 and into the Hidden Valley area, where Laymon was able to evade deputies. The blue Dodge truck was nowhere in sight, deputies indicated.

While the deputies who had been chasing Laymon continued to search for the truck, an Ark City Police officer indicated over his radio that he believed he had located the truck in Ark City. Once again, the chase was on.

(The Winfield Courier contributed to this report; Photo Courtesy The Winfield Courier)