PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Pikeville Police were able to recover a stolen Jeep Sunday night, although it was considerably more difficult to arrest their suspect in the case.

Officers were called to a gas station on Bypass Road around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, after a woman reported her 2022 Jeep Compass was stolen when she went into the store. After reviewing security video and talking to witnesses, police identified their suspect as Charles Scott, 32, of Pikeville.

Sixteen hours later, police were called to Fife Fork over a report of an intoxicated man causing a disturbance. When they arrived, they immediately spotted the stolen Jeep parked in front of the building, but Scott was nowhere to be found.

Witnesses told officers that he ran and jumped into a kudzu patch when he saw police coming. That’s where they found him hiding, but it took a long chase through the kudzu and some neighboring yards, as well as three blasts from a taser, before they were finally able to arrest him.

Scott is now charged with theft, fleeing police and several other charges.