Somerset KY man allegedly avoids police capture three times, damages cars.
A Somerset man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly evading police twice and causing thousands of dollars in damage to deputies’ cruisers, police said.
Officials from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office said that at around 10 a.m. on Monday, two deputies were dispatched to Morgan Lane to investigate a domestic disturbance call. They found Jonathan “Toby” Whiles, 37, sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle.
When ordered to turn the car off and step out because the deputies had warrants on him, Whiles sped off, allegedly sideswiping the deputies’ cruisers and kicking up gravel, according to the sheriff’s office. The damage to the two cruisers was professionally estimated to be more than $12,900.
Around 10:40 a.m., the deputies spotted Whiles’ car heading westbound on Ky. 1248., a sheriff’s office press release said. Whiles led them in a chase, weaving around cars in “No Passing” zones and into oncoming traffic. The deputies stopped the chase for public safety reasons.
A warrant was obtained charging Whiles with several offenses, and at about 10 p.m., dispatch received a tip that he was on Hickory Nut Ridge Road in Pulaski County, police said. Deputies, Somerset police officers and a Kentucky State Police trooper arrived at the scene and briefly pursued Whiles by foot before losing track of him in the darkness.
On Tuesday at around 11:30 a.m., dispatch received a tip that Whiles was again seen at Hickory Nut Ridge Road.
At approximately 12:30 p.m., Whiles was arrested, after which he began acting like he was having a medical issue, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken to the hospital, where he was cleared, and then taken to jail.
Whiles was charged with two counts of fleeing or evading police, three counts of wanton endangerment, two counts of criminal mischief, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, and theft by unlawful taking or disposition under $500.
Whiles has previously been arrested multiple times and escaped from the Pulaski County Detention Center in 2018, according to court records.
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 11:11 AM.