UPDATE, 8 a.m., Aug. 8: Prestonsburg Police report that Harris has turned himself in to the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office and is being booked in the Floyd County Detention Center.
UPDATE, 2 p.m., Aug. 7: Prestonsburg Police have charged the driver, Westin Harris, 19, of Allen, in addition to the 17-year-old alleged shooter.
Harris now faces felony charges of wanton endangerment and criminal mischief, after police said their continuing investigation uncovered “additional substantial evidence” directly implicating Allen in the shooting.
At this time, Harris is not in custody and police have not been able to locate him. They ask anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact them at (606) 886-1010.
PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A 17-year-old who allegedly shot at cars as they drove past Bull Creek Trade Center on U.S. 23 in Prestonsburg is now in custody, and police say he could face charges as an adult.
The arrest is related to reports of at least four cars being shot as they drove past the flea market Friday night. Prestonsburg Police say a gray Toyota Tacoma pulled off the road at the flea market and a passenger began shooting at cars driving past.
As police investigated the case, they first thought the occupants of the truck were both juveniles, but the driver turned out to be Westin Harris, 19, of Allen.
Police say Harris came forward and cooperated with investigators, telling them he did not know what the 17-year-old intended to do until he began shooting.
The 17-year-old has now been arrested and taken to the Breathitt County Regional Juvenile Detention Center. He is charged with four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and four counts of first-degree criminal mischief. All of those charges are felonies.
Police say they are also working with the County Attorney’s Office to ask the court to charge the teen as an adult. If a judge agrees, he will then be publicly identified.
The police department praised the investigating officers for arresting a suspect so quickly, despite having very little to work with.
“The initially responding officers, as well as Det. Dennis Hutchinson, who is the charging investigator, received the complaint with virtually no leads as to a suspect, and have located and arrested him in less than five days and are commended for their nonstop effort to do so,” the department said in a prepared statement.
