Seriously… Erie County Sheriff’s helicopter? A K-9 unit?
For a $58 cab fare:
The fare then said he had left his wallet next to a pay phone and he needed to go back inside to get it.
After a few minutes, Ward and Wilson got a bad feeling and went through the service station to try to find the man.
When they failed to locate him, Ward got into the police cruiser and drove around with Wilson unsuccessfully searching the immediate area for the fare.
Troopers then called in K-9 units, the Erie County sheriff’s helicopter and Evans town police to help in the search and to set up a perimeter around the service area.
“We had him hemmed in pretty good,” said State Police Capt. Michael Nigrelli of the Thruway detail, adding that police knew the man’s identity.
Ward, who was stuck at the service station throughout the search, saw the copter flying low over the area.
“I asked the officer, “Is that because of this?’ ” Ward recalled.
Just after 11 a.m., the sheriff’s copter directed police on the ground to an abandoned garage on Gowans Road in Evans.
Kevin G. Holt, 48, of Alpine, Calif., was found hiding in the rafters of the garage.
He was charged with theft of services and obstructing governmental administration, both misdemeanors. The SPCA Serving Erie County took Holt’s dogs.
