By GEORGETTE HUFF
A manhunt spanning nearly eight hours on Thursday, Sept. 3, ended with no injuries with the suspect’s capture in Leavittsville.
Sheriff Dale Williams said a tip was received from an anonymous caller that Paul Andrew Minor, Jr., was at a residence located on Antigua Road SW, in Leavittsville.
Williams said there were “several” outstanding warrants on theft charges in Stark County for Minor, age 42, whose address is listed as East Tuscarawas Street, Canton.
When Major Calvin Graham, Cpt. Troy Watson and Lt. Kyle Trisnar arrived at the house in Leavittsville, Minor ran inside. With officers at the front and back doors, Minor exited the house through a basement door and ran to a Jeep Cherokee.
Graham attempted to stop Minor by shooting and deflating the Jeep’s right front and rear tires. However, Minor drove through the adjacent church yard, onto Caddy Road SW, where he abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into a wooded area.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol deployed a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter to search by air. Officers from the New Philadelphia post, as well as Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District rangers assisted in the ground search throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
Lt. Trisnar and K-9 “Nuke” found Miner hiding under bushes in front of the church in Leavittsville. He was unarmed when he was taken into custody shortly after 9 p.m.
Minor was transported to the Carroll County Jail. On Sept. 4, he was charged with one count of failure to comply with order or signal of police office, a third-degree felony, and bond was set at $100,000. Minor will be arraigned in Carroll County Municipal Court on Sept. 9.
