The Tennessee Highway Patrol reports that a man who fled from officers after he apparently gained control of a patrol vehicle is now in custody.
A multi-agency manhunt was underway last week when officers responded to a vehicle at the Buffalo Valley rest stop on June 30. It was discovered the vehicle had been reported stolen. Officers took two people into custody who were sleeping in the car.
Karen Vallie, 42, of Montana was taken into custody without incident.
Officers placed Charles Lawson, 55, of Tennessee in handcuffs and put him in the back of the patrol car. According to a news release, Lawson managed to take control of the patrol vehicle and fled the scene. The vehicle was found crashed a short while later on Tucker Ridge Road.
Lawson remained on the lam.
On July 2, the Tennessee Highway Patrol reported Lawson was taken into custody. Representatives with the THP credited the assistance of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and their tracking K-9s helping to search side-by-side with THP Cookeville District.
“We are thankful to the public for all your tips. We are also very thankful to the @putnamcountysheriffsoffice for their officers who searched side by side with our troopers and who provided K-9’s for tracking. We also want to give a special thank you to all of our troopers in the THP Cookeville District for all you did to bring this matter to a successful close. This was a tremendous team effort,” THP representatives noted on its Facebook page.
THP seeking suspect after he reportedly stole patrol car
Submitted by Tennessee Highway Patrol
An incident on Sunday involving stolen vehicles has led to the arrest of one, while law enforcement searches for another reportedly on the lam.
According to a press release issued by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, troopers were investigating a suspicious vehicle parked at the Buffalo Valley rest area off of I-40 in Smith County around 6:15 Sunday morning.
A trooper reported observing a man and a woman sleeping inside the vehicle. A V.I.N. check of the vehicle revealed it had been reported stolen. The officer detained the pair with handcuffs and identified the woman as Karen Vallie, 42, of Montana. The release further notes the male in custody gave the officer a fraudulent name and Social Security number.
He was identified as Charles D. Lawson, 55, of Tennessee. Lawson was placed into a THP patrol vehicle while officers inventoried the stolen vehicle’s content and interviewed Vallie. It was during that time when Lawson reportedly gained control of the trooper’s vehicle and fled the scene. Soon after, Lawson crashed the stolen THP vehicle around Tucker Ridge Road in Putnam County.
The release notes all of the trooper’s weapons were secured and accounted for within the patrol vehicle. Lawson is being sought by law enforcement agencies.
The THP is seeking the public’s assistance in helping to locate Lawson. Officers advise anyone who sees Lawson to call 911 immediately and do not approach him. The THP Aviation Unit and numerous K-9 units are in the area attempting to locate Lawson.
The incident remains under investigation.
