Photo of Shawn Easley

The evening of Thursday, October 12, 2017, Johnson County Deputy Byron Fairchild attempted a traffic stop on a black S-10 pickup truck with two wanted individuals inside. Both appeared to be under the influence and the vehicle had the wrong tags. The driver, Shawn Easley, was recognized by the deputy as being wanted in South Carolina. A traffic stop was performed at the KY 40 and US 460 intersection. As the deputy walked from his cruiser, the vehicle fled and was pursued on to KY 172. The pursuit continued into Lawrence County, where the vehicle line. The driver knocked out the window and fled into the woods, while the passenger, Kenneth Wells, 41 of Van Lear, was apprehended. Wells was charged with complicity in fleeing and wanton endangerment, public intoxication, possession of drug paraphernalia, and an arrest warrant. Easley was last seen on foot in the Blaine/KY 201 area and may have returned to Paintsville. If you have any information on his whereabouts, contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at 789-3411.