An accused Vermont thief who staved off a two-week police manhunt by fleeing in a fleet of stolen garbage trucks, tractors, bicycles and boats was finally caught Thursday — after he was spotted kayaking on a local river.
Eric Edson, 52, is wanted on more than a dozen charges stemming from the Aug. 24 armed robbery of a Burlington store.
“Due to the strangeness of Mr. Edson’s various modes of flight, from car to bicycle to paddle board to sailboat to tractor, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that Mr. Edson is a dangerous person,” said Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad. the day before the arrest.
The hilarious chase began on Aug. 30 when police found Edson passed out in a running car that matched the description of the vehicle used in the robbery he allegedly committed a week earlier, police said.
When officers pulled over, Edson allegedly punched the gas and fled the area, hitting both cops with the car.
Edons, who has a criminal record, was spotted again that night and led police on a foot chase until he got on a stolen bicycle, which he eventually traded for a stolen sailboat on Lake Champlain.
Eric Edson was originally wanted for an armed robbery he committed at a Burlington store on August 24. VERMONT STATE POLICE
Edson, who hit two police officers with a car and led police on a chase, has a past criminal history. VERMONT STATE POLICE
The Coast Guard forces the boat to run aground at the bottom of a lakeside cliff, but Edson allegedly proves once again how fickle he is and escapes a third time.
The getaway artist kept a low profile for the next week, even as police found a trail of his stolen vehicles lying idle – including a “full-size John Deere tractor” and a dump truck, according to police.
Police finally got lucky when a tipster reported seeing Edson kayaking on the Lamoille River, about 20 miles northeast of Burlington.
Vermont State Police released a photo of Edson from surveillance footage, in which he is seen approaching the door of a residence. VERMONT STATE POLICE
“Edson landed the kayak, believed to be stolen, on the north bank of the river,” state police said.
“He then fled law enforcement on foot, jumped into the river and swam to the south shore near Georgia Mountain Road. The army and the warden arrested him at that time.”
Edson was taken to a hospital for evaluation of injuries “he apparently sustained while he was free,” police said.
Surveillance footage shows Edson operating a stolen garbage truck. VERMONT STATE POLICE
After his release, he will be jailed without bail on a warrant from the Vermont Department of Corrections for violating the terms of his previous release linked to various underlying charges including burglary and possession of stolen property, according to law enforcement.
Charges against him include felony evading law enforcement and misdemeanor counts of unauthorized use of a boat and two counts of negligent operation of a vehicle.
By Postal Wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
