Hopkinsville man arrested after chase on east side of town

What would have been a fairly normal traffic stop turned into an arrest last night when the driver of a vehicle allegedly tried to evade Hopkinsville Police.

The pursuit began on East 21^st Street around 11:30 Saturday  night when Officer Rogers Stephens clocked 31-year old Gary Douthitt of Hopkinsville driving 45 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone.

Officer Stephens activated his lights behind McDonalds, but writes on the citation that Douthitt drove into the housing area of James Village and then over a high curbing and down a steep hill into a field.

The suspect allegedly abandoned his vehicle and ran into some woods, later telling police he tried to hide under the water in a creek. Officer Stephens would eventually arrest Douthitt and charge him with speeding, failure to maintain insurance and fleeing from police. Douthitt reportedly said he ran because he knew he didn’t have insurance and that police scare him.

                                                            **

10/08/2012/am