Businesses and school districts near the manhunt for a man suspected of shooting five people on Interstate 75 this past weekend are adjusting to unusual circumstances as the search stretches into day four in the woods of north Laurel County.
Some businesses locked their doors and allowed customers to come in only after calling. A public library closed down Sunday and Monday before reopening on Tuesdays. And several school districts either canceled classes or moved to virtual learning.
Authorities have been searching since Saturday night for 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch, accused of opening fire on drivers along a busy stretch of I-75. Twelve cars were hit, and five people were injured.
Police said Tuesday that Couch texted his ex-wife before the attack pledging to “kill a lot of people” and then kill himself afterwards. Police said they found Couch’s vehicle and gun, and the think he is still in the woods somewhere — possibly in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
The search put many parts of Southern Kentucky in paralysis this past weekend, as the interstate was shut down for hours, side roads were shut down for days, and authorities urged nearby residents to stay in their homes.
But as the search headed into day four on Tuesday, life started to return to normal in Laurel County.
Leah Rudder, director of the Laurel County Public Library, said she decided to close the county library on Sunday because of the foot traffic the library generates. The library, in central Laurel County, is about 14 miles south of the shooting scene.
“I had to take into account the safety of the patrons,” Rudder said. “We didn’t know where this man was.”
Then, on Monday, she decided to close again because nearby Somerset Community College, as well as several public schools, were closed. She said a lot of her staff have children at the schools, and they worried about the suspect on the loose.
“I had to take a look at how worried I was at home on the other side of the county and take into consideration there’s 43 of us here on staff and how it was affecting them also,” Rudder said.
The library reopened Tuesday but had additional security, Rudder said. In the meantime, the library has suspended its bookmobile program, a traveling service that delivers books to people who aren’t able to go to the library themselves. Rudder said she doesn’t know when the program will resume.
“I think right now to show up and knock on somebody’s door doesn’t seem — I think residents (are) on edge, and even though we are a trusted group in the community, I just think knocking on somebody’s door right now is not the best idea,” Rudder said.
Jonathan Arnett owns the London Travel Plaza, off exit 41 on the interstate, with his son-in-law, McKenzie Benkner. A photo of Arnett standing guard outside the store with a rifle garnered much attention on social media in recent days.
Arnett’s grandson was working at the store when the shooting happened.
He called family and was instructed to lock down the store and offer refuge for any nearby bystanders. Arnett and Benkner arrived and let more bystanders into the store and offered them coffee, refreshments or gas.
“We stood guard, took the perimeter,” Arnett said. “My son-in-law Benkner, being a former law enforcement and the COO of the business, took charge and handled the situation.”
Arnett said Benkner’s presence helped put people at ease. He added they also contacted law enforcement to inform them on what they were doing.
“We’re not trying to scare anybody,” Arnett said. “The people I talked to said ‘Oh no we’re glad. We feel safe now.’ People realized we were the good guys.”
During the incident, Arnett encountered many people who were traveling on the interstate when Couch opened fire. He said some people were shaken by the events.
“We had a mother and daughter that were very scared. We let them shelter until they felt like the threat was neutralized,” Arnett said. “A lot of people were confused, wasn’t understanding what was going on. A lot of people were nervous.”
Business has carried on as usual for the most part. Arnett said they’ve stepped up the perimeter surveillance and have people keeping watch.
“We do have a lot of people that are on standby, keeping eyes out,” Arnett said.
Anthony Brummett, owner of Wildcat Adventures Off Road Park in northern Laurel County, said Kentucky State Police asked him to close his business while they searched for the suspect. He closed on Saturday night and has not reopened his park, which is about a mile and a half from the shooting scene.
He said he agrees closing is the right thing to do, but it has hurt business.
“It’s cost us money every day we’re not open,” he said. “Your bills still come.”
Several local restaurants have donated to local law enforcement officials searching for Couch, Westerfield said. Food was kept at the emergency operations center and shuttled over to the scene as necessary. There are still soft drinks, water and other refreshments stockpiled at the emergency operations center.
And the Kentucky Baptist Association has set up at Hazel Patch Baptist Church, roughly a half-mile from the scene, to feed authorities three meals a day during the search.
“It’s amazing how your community pulls together in a time of need,” Westerfield said.
Schools
As with many school districts in the area of the manhunt, Laurel and Knox County Schools canceled in-person classes for a second day on Tuesday.
Knox County held classes virtually, while Laurel County canceled them altogether.
“We’re going continue to work with our law enforcement, local and state, to give us guidance, any tips they may have, in order to make those informed decisions, said Knox School’s’ Communication Director Frank Shelton.
Shelton said the district did not want to cancel classes so close to the beginning of school because they were just now establishing routines.
“We’re just encouraging parents to explain the situation that has happened,” to their children, Shelton said.
Parents who don’t have technology at home are picking up paper packets at their child’s school, he said.
“That way learning can continue,” said Shelton.
Molly K. Barnett, the district spokesperson for Laurel County Schools, said the district leadership team is working to develop a potential plan for moving to virtual instruction as soon as possible, and they hope for a quick return to in-person instruction as soon as its deemed safe.
“The Laurel County Public Schools Police Department and district administration are actively communicating with local law enforcement to assess the situation and make an informed decision about resuming school activities,” Barnett said.
Laurel County officials were going to announce whether school will be in session Wednesday at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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