HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – A Clarksville man led Hopkinsville Police on a high-speed chase Friday morning, resulting in his arrest and nine criminal charges.
On Jan. 2 just after 7 a.m., officers with the Hopkinsville Police Department were dispatched to the area of Eagle Way and Lafayette Road after a Flock camera detected a vehicle that had been stolen from Oak Grove. After a traffic stop was attempted, the suspect fled in his vehicle, speeding down Country Club Lane. Several patrol vehicles were in pursuit, with the suspect disregarding stoplights and driving at high rates of speed upward of 130 mph, according to an arrest report.
Officers eventually deployed stop sticks at the intersection of Fort Campbell Boulevard and the I-24 underpass. The vehicle continued to drive with a deflated tire onto the interstate. HPD vehicles attempted to box in the suspect and then initiated a PIT maneuver.
After the vehicle was disabled around 20 minutes into the pursuit, the suspect was seen putting something in his mouth and attempted to drink a liquid. HPD says officers warned the suspect to get out of the vehicle, and they ultimately broke the window to open the driver’s side door. A K9 was deployed to remove the suspect from the vehicle after he refused to get out.
The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Kaves Payton of Clarksville, admitted to consuming a baggie that contained fentanyl that had fallen onto the floorboard. He told officers that he borrowed the car from a friend and initially did not know it was stolen. A search of the vehicle yielded drug paraphernalia including syringes, and several pipes.
He was arrested and is facing nine charges including driving with a DUI suspended license, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest, drug possession, fleeing or evading police, and reckless driving.
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