Who let the drones out

A fugitive on the run was apprehended with the assistance of a fire department’s drone. It all began around 1:08 a.m. on October 21 when a Marshall County Deputy initiated a traffic stop.

The deputy witnessed the driver commit a few traffic infractions, so he pulled the vehicle over. At first, the traffic stop seemed to be a routine one. He identified the driver as Stephanie Stowe and informed her of the reasons she was pulled over.

However, it was when the deputy inquired who the passenger was that things became interesting. Initially, the passenger gave the deputy a name, but when he called it in, nothing was found.

The deputy approached the passenger and requested the passenger’s information again. This time, the passenger gave the same name, but a different birth date. The deputy asked the passenger to stop out of the vehicle to detain him until the deputy could figure out his identity.

The deputy informed the passenger that there wasn’t any information coming back to the name and birth date that was provided. As the deputy attempted to place the handcuffs on the suspect, the suspect began to resist by trying to run and pull away from the arresting officer.

During the scuffle, the suspect was able to get away from the arresting officer and run. The arresting officer then called for backup to assist in looking for the suspect.

Stowe eventually identified the suspect as Zachary Jones. Jones’ information came back as a federal warrant through the United States Marshall Service. The record also showed the warrant had a full extradition clause.

Jones was able to elude for a short period of time, and he had more deputies, a Kingston Police Officer and some Light Horse Police officers actively searching for him. A short time later, requested for the Buncombe Creek Fire Department to respond on scene. The BCFD has a drone with night and thermal vision capabilities.

Thankfully, the drone located Jonesashorttimelater. He was found hiding on the roof of a house approximately 200 to 300 yards away from the traffic stop.

There was a brief standoff between Jones and the officers. However, a Marshall County Deputy talked Jones into surrendering and he was taken into custody without any further incident.

The initial deputy who conducted the traffic stop and attempted to arrested Jones suffered a sprained wrist from jumping a fence. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Along with the federal warrant with extradition, Jones, a 32-year-old male from Kingston is facing charges for Possession of CDS – Methamphetamines, Possession of Marijuana, and Attempting to Escape/Evade Arrest. An online search found a prior for Possession of a Stolen Vehicle.

Stowe, a 35-year-old female from Kingston is facing charges for Possession of CDS – Methamphetamines and Obstruction. An online search found priors for Concealing Stolen Property, Possession of CDS, DUI, and PossessionofDrugParaphernalia.