Teen arrested after stolen Charger crashes during police pursuit in Graves County
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
GRAVES COUNTY, Ky., (KBSI) — A 17-year-old from Paducah was taken into custody early Wednesday after a stolen Dodge Charger crashed during a police pursuit, according to the Graves County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident began at 1:27 a.m., when McCracken County authorities notified Graves County deputies that a 2017 Dodge Charger had just been reported stolen from the Cairo Road area. Eleven minutes later, at 1:38 a.m., Deputy Austin Caldwell spotted the vehicle on U.S. Highway 45 near the I-69 interchange.
When Caldwell attempted a traffic stop, the driver fled at a high rate of speed, leading deputies through Mayfield and onto Kentucky Highway 58 East. The pursuit was terminated near the airport after the deputy’s tire deflated and speeds became excessive.
A second deputy continued searching the area and discovered the crashed vehicle, which had hit a telephone pole and overturned multiple times. Deputies found the 17-year-old hiding in a nearby soybean field. He was taken to Jackson Purchase Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries from the crash.
A loaded handgun, which did not belong to the vehicle’s owner, was recovered from the stolen car. Deputies said the juvenile was uncooperative and denied driving the vehicle but refused to identify anyone else involved.
The crash caused a temporary power outage in the area. WKRECC crews restored service within an hour.
The juvenile faces charges including felony evading and possession of a handgun by a minor. The investigation continues in coordination with the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office.
