Man fleeing deputy hit by pickup

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A man running from a Butler County deputy sheriff was injured early Saturday morning when he was struck by a pickup truck driven by a Dexter, Mo., man.

Timothy Draper, 34, of Sikeston, Mo., was transported by ambulance to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The incident began when personnel at the South Campus mental health treatment unit notified the Poplar Bluff Police Department that a black male had climbed out of a window and likely was headed toward Sikeston.

The dispatcher at the police station notified the Butler County Sheriff's Department at 6:25 a.m. Saturday.

A deputy sheriff spotted Draper walking in the fog on eastbound U.S. 60, one-tenth of a mile west of County Road 567.

When the deputy approached, Draper reportedly ran across the median and was struck by a westbound 2013 Dodge 2500 pickup truck driven by Terry Battles, 60, of Dexter.