By Adam S. Sulfridge / Staff Writer
Williamsburg’s K9 Officer Brandon Prewitt and his partner Rico helped capture an 18-year-old woman who ran from police Thursday afternoon.
According to Public Affairs Officer Shawn Jackson, Tabatha S. Gray was visiting her 17-year-old boyfriend, who was about to be transferred to a juvenile detention facility, when Jackson and others became suspicious of her behavior. “She appeared to be under the influence and got very upset and disorderly,” he said.
Gray was arrested and charged with public intoxication at an office on Sycamore Street near the Whitley County Courthouse. Jackson said he left the handcuffed female with several office workers momentarily as he went to retrieve some paperwork, and that’s when Gray escaped. “An employee came running to me and said she bolted out the back door with the handcuffs on…we tried to secure a perimeter, and K9 Rico arrived and picked up a scent immediately.”
In an attempt to hide from officers, Gray broke into a nearby apartment, but she was met with resistance. “Dispatch notified us she had entered a residence unlawfully… she barged into somebody’s apartment,” Jackson said. “He (the tenant) stated to me he felt threatened for his life and actually pulled out a pocket knife, and that’s when she finally left his residence.”
After leaving the apartment complex, Gray ran into a muddy field behind Williamsburg’s new maintenance garage. With K9 Rico tracking her scent from one direction, other law enforcement were trudging through thick mud from the other direction.
“Rico tracked the female subject step for step and located her near North 3rd Street,” Jackson added.
Multiple agencies responded to the area after Jackson radioed for assistance. “As soon as I hollered on the radio, I had units coming from all directions… with that many officers in the area, we could secure a perimeter and let Rico do what he does best.”
Jackson thanked fellow Williamsburg officers along with Kentucky State Police Detective KY Fuson, Trooper Les Moses, and Whitley County Chief Deputy Tim Shelley for their help.
“It’s very unfortunate, being only 18 years of age and getting started on the wrong foot. It’s suspected she was under the influence of some kind of narcotic, and this all went form a simple public intoxication charge to several different charges, including some felonies… getting her some help is our main focus.”
