Oklahoma authorities say trucker is 'person of interest' in slayings

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ Authorities say a Lincoln, Nebraska, truck driver suspected of beating and raping an Oklahoma City woman is a --quote -- ``person of interest'' in a string of ten homicides

Saturday, September 18th 2004, 5:53 pm

By: News On 6

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ Authorities say a Lincoln, Nebraska, truck driver suspected of beating and raping an Oklahoma City woman is a --quote -- ``person of interest'' in a string of ten homicides in six states.

Oklahoma authorities maintain that they have NO evidence linking Carl Wayne Lawson to cases in Indiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Texas or Arkansas. But -- they said the case that led to his arrest Tuesday is very similar.

Thirty-two-year-old Lawson is jailed in Lancaster County, Nebraska, on a three-(M) million-dollar bond. Lincoln police arrested him Tuesday. He has been charged with beating, strangling and raping a 51-year-old woman he met at an Oklahoma City truck stop on Sunday.

In many of the cases,the victims were prostitutes picked up at truck stops.