Kentucky ‘Sniper’ Who’s Still At-Large Had Issues With Neighbors: Official

A county judge-executive told Newsweek the Kentucky shooting suspect had “issues” with his neighbors prior to the tragic incident.

Officials are entering their fifth day of searching for Joseph A. Couch, accused of shooting at over a dozen vehicles about “30-feet down from the top of a cliff” near Interstate 75 in Laurel County. Five individuals were wounded in the shooting on Saturday and two others were injured in a subsequent vehicle accident.

Several school districts and independent schools remained closed or moved to virtual instruction on Wednesday as the search for the suspect continues. The reward for information leading to the arrest of Couch has grown to $35,000.

Knox County Judge-Executive Mike Mitchell spoke to Newsweek about the suspect’s connection to the county and county officials’ support in the continuing manhunt.

“He’s had some issues with his neighbors,” Mitchell said.

He said he could not elaborate on the judicial aspects of the alleged issues.

Couch, 32, was arrested in Knox County in February for allegedly threatening a neighbor with an AR weapon. The case was ultimately dismissed after the victim failed to appear in court.

The victim had claimed that Couch threw a rock at his dog and said expletives. Couch then went inside his home and allegedly returned with the weapon.

The neighbor claimed that Couch was threatening to kill him.

“It’s very unfortunate and disturbing,” Mitchell said of the sniper shooting.

He said the sheriff’s office continues to send resources to Laurel County.

“Our law enforcement has provided any aid they can to help them,” he said.

Mitchell also described some of the concerns he has heard from community members.

“Everyone is wanting this to be over, to get back to some normalcy in life,” Mitchell said.

He said he is continuing to think of the injured victims.

“I feel for them, I’ve been praying for them and will continue to pray for them,” Mitchell said. “My wife and I prayed for them this morning before we left the house. It’s very traumatic. And I wish them the best as far as their recovery and look forward to them recovering. This is so horrendous that anything like this has went on and our whole community feels the devastation from this, and it’s just very regrettable.”

Survival expert Creek Stewart spoke to Newsweek about the conditions Couch is facing in the wilderness and how he could survive “a very long time.”

“If I were to pick a spot and a time of year to evade authorities, it would be right now in the eastern woodlands of Kentucky,” Stewart said.

Stewart explained several factors that make conditions in this location optimal during this time of year.

“He doesn’t really need a shelter because it’s nice and warm, even at night,” Stewart said. “There’s plenty of water in the eastern woodlands. There’s plenty of food in the eastern woodlands this time of year. There’s a lot of nuts, nutritious nuts and seeds and acorns, even several fruits ripening.”

Stewart identified other sources of food Couch could be surviving off of.

“There are many roots and kinds of wild edible plants that can be eaten as vegetables that are available this time of year,” Stewart said. “Really easy, easy food items that require very little skills would be crayfish and small critters like frogs, bullfrogs and snakes. Those things are very easy to catch and plentiful in those areas.”

While there are factors that work in Couch’s favor, he still faces some significant risks, according to Stewart.

“If he has fire, he might be boiling water. But my gut tells me he’s just drinking water out of open water sources, which can lead to waterborne illness like giardia, cryptosporidium and things like that that could potentially make him sick,” Stewart said. “I would say from a survival perspective, that’s probably his greatest risk. If he’s not boiling water, he could potentially get sick within a few days and that can be fatal in the wilderness if you don’t have medical attention.”

Randall Weddle, mayor of London, Kentucky, had a simple message for Couch in an interview with Newsweek.

“You can run, but you can’t hide,” Weddle said. “They’re eventually going to catch you.”

He wants the victims to know that they have the community’s support.

“We hate that this has happened, but we will continue as a community to keep them and their families in our thoughts and prayers,” Weddle said.

Couch is a Gray, Kentucky resident, which is around 25 minutes from London.

“It’s a much smaller community, but we would imagine, this being the largest town in this area, that he would travel up here quite a bit,” Weddle said.

London has a population of around 8,053, while Gray has a population of around 2,418.

Anyone with information should contact Kentucky State Police Post 11 London at 606-878-6622, Crime Stoppers at 606-682-1013, County Communication at 606-878-7000 or Laurel County Sheriff’s Office at 606-864-6600.

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