Kansas’ Republican Senate majority leader arrested for DUI after allegedly fleeing officer​

As the majority leader in the Kansas Senate, Sen. Gene Suellentrop is one of the most powerful Republicans in that midwestern state — and the Kansas City Star is reporting that he has been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.

According to Star reporters Jonathan Shorman and Katie Bernard, Suellentrop was "booked into the Shawnee County Jail" in Kansas on March 16 and has been "accused of driving under the influence, attempting to flee or evade a law enforcement officer, speeding and improperly crossing a divided highway."

Shorman and Bernard note, "A bond amount of $1000 is listed. Other details weren't immediately clear. The records don't list the arresting law enforcement agency."

Although Kansas has a centrist Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, the state remains deeply Republican — and the GOP still controls the state legislature.

Suellentrop, now 69, served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2009-2013 before being elected to the Kansas Senate in 2016.