A police chase Wednesday in St. Albans ended in a suspect's car crashing and him running and hiding barefoot in the cold before being arrested, police say.
Cody A. Hudson, 21, of St. Albans, faces felony charges of fleeing with reckless indifference, transferring/receiving a stolen vehicle and prohibited possession of a firearm, according to a St. Albans police news release. Police said they found a loaded 12-gauge shotgun in Hudson's allegedly stolen silver Mazda RX-8, and Hudson cannot legally have a gun because he pleaded guilty to robbery, a felony, in Kanawha County in 2014.
The release states Patrolman Jeff Lucas noticed the Mazda, which matched the description of a vehicle stolen Tuesday from the Indian Head area, around the intersection of B Street and U.S. 60 in St. Albans at about 2:15 a.m. Police said that when Lucas attempted to stop the car, Hudson, the driver, sped west into Putnam County along U.S. 60, and a short time later crashed into a hill as he attempted to turn onto a small road.
Police say Hudson and a juvenile female who fled the vehicle on foot were both caught. They say Hudson was wearing only a long-sleeve shirt, shorts and flip-flops when he fled, but the shoes had been lost by the time he was found in a small creek.
He was taken to Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston to be treated for mild exposure on his feet.