(McCRACKEN COUNTY, Ky.) — A 19-year-old Missouri man is behind bars after leading law enforcement on dangerous pursuits through two Kentucky counties Monday morning, leaving a state trooper injured.
William Parker of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was arrested by the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office following a series of chases that began in Ballard County around 11:45 a.m.
According to authorities, Parker was driving a vehicle reported stolen during an armed carjacking in Springfield, Illinois. The Ballard County Sheriff’s Office initially pursued the suspect but lost sight of him due to his reckless driving. He was last seen heading toward McCracken County near Highway 286.
McCracken County deputies spotted the stolen vehicle on Blandville Road and attempted a traffic stop, but Parker fled again.
During the second pursuit, Parker allegedly swerved toward a McCracken County Sheriff’s sergeant and a Kentucky State Police trooper who were stationary on Blandville Road. The suspect’s vehicle struck a rope attached to a spike strip that the trooper was attempting to deploy, injuring the trooper’s hand.
“This action put both law enforcement officers in extreme danger,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Deputies temporarily lost sight of Parker’s vehicle near the 11-mile marker on Interstate 24. Shortly after, a witness reported a crashed vehicle on Husbands Road near Krebs Station Road.
A multi-agency search involving the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office, Paducah Police Department, Ballard County Sheriff’s Office, and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement located Parker hiding in a barn loft near the crash site.
Parker was lodged in the McCracken County Jail facing multiple charges, including receiving stolen property, third-degree assault on law enforcement, first-degree wanton endangerment of law enforcement, first-degree fleeing, first-degree criminal mischief, and various traffic violations. Additional charges are expected from Ballard County authorities.
The condition of the injured trooper was not immediately released.
