FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. – A suspected porch pirate’s attempt to evade law enforcement took an unexpected twist as he sought refuge within a storm drain, only to be apprehended following a determined effort by officers.
Lavern Vereen, 31, found himself in a tight spot after allegedly stealing packages and attempting to hide from pursuing officers in a storm drain located in Fayette County, Georgia.
The chain of events led to an encounter that began with a vehicle crash involving Vereen’s car. As responding officers arrived at the scene, Vereen fled on foot and prompted a search operation.
Sheriff Barry Babb of Fayette County said authorities had reason to suspect Vereen of package thefts prior to the crash.
“It started as a vehicle crash, and as responding officers arrived, the subject fled on foot,” he said.
As officers scoured the neighborhood, Vereen managed to enter a storm drain and attempted to make his escape by crawling deep underground. With over 50 yards of drain pipe to navigate, officers faced a challenge in locating and apprehending him.
In a bid to coax Vereen out, deputies deployed pepper spray into the drain pipe multiple times, but their efforts proved fruitless as he remained concealed.
Drone technology was also utilized, with an attempt to send a drone into the pipe to locate Vereen. Eventually, the drone’s camera captured sight of him, but Vereen’s refusal to emerge persisted.
“He would feign that he was going to come out and then he would not, so we actually deployed the K-9 by actually putting the K-9 in the [pipe]. At that point, he’d say ‘Let me get out of here,'” recounted Sherrif Babb.
Within seconds of the K-9’s deployment, Vereen emerged from the storm drain and was swiftly taken into custody by waiting officers.
Vereen was checked for injuries before being transported to jail on multiple charges related to the alleged package thefts and his daring escape attempt.
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