Gaston, SC (Paul Kirby) – Gaston Police Chief Shawn Mohundro was on routine patrol on Woodtrail Drive Tuesday afternoon when he noticed a driver in a Ford F-150 pickup truck that was not wearing his seat belt. The chief got behind the truck and ran its tag which indicated it had been reported stolen in Lexington County. When Mohundro activated his warning devices, the pickup’s driver failed to pull over and instead sped up, initiating a pursuit.
Chief Mohundro stayed with the fleeing truck as it sped down Archwood Street over to Busbee Road. The suspect then continued down to Fish Hatchery Road and eventually turned onto Meadowfield Road at the four-way stop. Here the fleeing driver turned right and continued toward SC Hwy. 6. At some point, the man realized that he wasn’t going to shake the chief, so he pulled over and surrendered. Mohundro quickly took the driver into custody.
The man driving the truck has been identified as Joseph A. Kibler. He has since been booked into the Lexington County Detention Center. Kibler has been charged with Failure to Stop for Blue Lights, Reckless Driving, Driving under Suspension 3rd or Subsequent Offence, Operating Without a Seatbelt, and Felony Possession of Stolen Property Value Greater than $10,000.00.
The pickup truck Kibler had been driving was reported stolen Monday, April 29, 2019. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department had taken the report and entered it into NCIC which is how Mohundro determined it was stolen.
Major Stephen Watkins, spokesman for the Gaston Police Department, said that their department wanted to thank the Swansea and South Congaree Police Departments as well as the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in apprehending Kibler and returning the stolen truck to its rightful owner.
