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Authorities: Fugitive from Creston, IA shot by Kansas farmer

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March 7th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

WELLINGTON, Kan. (AP) ā€” Authorities have identified a 42-year-old Iowa fugitive who was fatally shot by a farmer in south-central Kansas. Sumner County, Kansas Sheriff Darren Chambers says Joseph Lamasters, of Creston, Iowa, was wanted in that state for a probation violation stemming from drug charges. KSNW-TV reports Kansas authorities began searching for Lamasters after he left his ID at a Kansas Turnpike tollbooth Monday, apparently to retrieve money to pay the toll. That’s when authorities learned he was wanted in Iowa.

Lamasters ran into a wooded area and was spotted by a farmer. The farmer says he opened fire after Lamasters jumped out from a pile of feed sacks and threatened to kill him. The sheriff says the shooting was in self-defense, and he does not expect the farmer to be charged.