By Carolyn Reid
Will Ashcraft of Falmouth was arrested by Cold Spring Police at approximately 10 p.m. Saturday night, June 10, after a manhunt lasting two days and involving Falmouth and Butler Police, Kentucky State Police, Cold Spring Police, and Pendleton County Dispatch as well as other help along the way.
Falmouth Police Chief Marty Hart says Ashcraft is accused of burglarizing both The Smoking Pig Tavern on Shelby Street and Angilo’s Pizza, also on Shelby Street, in incidents that began earlier last month.
Ashcraft faces felony charges.
Butler and Falmouth Police spent much of the day Thursday chasing leads through Falmouth, along the river, and up to Kincaid Lake State Park. Butler Mayor Mason Taylor brought his drone in order to help search the river while bloodhounds were brought in to help search. While he was not found that day, evidence was found that he had been in a park restroom near a shelter. Those included personal items and a firearm. Hart said they had him cornered, and he likely left the area with friends, undetected.
Hart says that around 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, a friend of Ashcraft’s contacted dispatch to tell them she had packed him camping equipment upon his request. He had explained he was on the run and needed to hide out for a while. She packed the equipment and a cell phone in the bag. Dispatch was able to ping the phone with updates every 15 minutes.
With that information and KSP’s help, dispatch and others tracked Ashcraft all day.
Hart was grateful for the help, saying the likelihood of anyone catching Ashcraft was slim without dispatch’s help and consistent updates as they followed the ping of the phone. Falmouth PD, including Brody Schmeng, Nick Timon, and Hart, chased Ashcraft from the time of the break-ins till the capture. He was suspected to be armed at least up to the time of his departure from the park.
Ashcraft faces felony charges of burglary, and he violated his probation. He faces up to 12 years, Hart said, as it stands, and now he will have additional charges for the burglaries he has conducted for the past week or so.
Ashcraft is being held in Campbell County Detention Center under a $5,000 cash bond.