Good mooooove: Cows led police to suspect near Boone
A group of cows helped Boone police officers find a suspect who fled a traffic stop.
The Boone Police Department said officers on Tuesday tried to stop Joshua Russell Minton, 34, of Millers Creek.
According to police, Minton led Boone police officers and the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office in a chase before he abandoned his car along U.S. Highway 421 and fled into an undeveloped area.
"Due to the suspect’s fast and reckless driving our officers were not close enough to see exactly where the suspect ran," police said.
That's when cows joined the search.
"Apparently cows do not want suspected criminals loitering in their pasture and quickly assisted our officers by leading them directly to where the suspect was hiding," police wrote. "The cows communicated with the officers as best they could and finally just had the officers follow them to the suspect’s location."
Minton was charged with felony flee/elude arrest with a motor vehicle, driving with a revoked license and disorderly conduct.
He was jailed on a $20,000 secured bond, and a court date was set for June 28 in Watauga County.
Boone police said they will consider using cows in the future just as the department uses K9s.
"We may be a small town; but we are a progressive, forward thinking law enforcement agency. For rural law enforcement, we want to be the tip of the spear," police wrote on Facebook.
