Search for Joseph Couch, Kentucky man accused of I-75 shooting rampage, presses on

A search for Joseph Couch, the Kentucky man suspected of opening fire on vehicles on Interstate 75 and injuring five people , entered its fourth day Tuesday as officials scoured Daniel Boone National Forest using helicopters, drones and canines.

Authorities still believe Couch is hiding in the "thousands and thousands" of acres of forest surrounding the stretch of highway where officials found at least a dozen vehicles riddled with bullet holes on Saturday evening, Kentucky State Police Trooper Scottie Pennington said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

"Our main focus is to remain in those woods until we find him," Pennington said.

Laurel County Sheriff John Root said authorities had visited Couch's home and collected evidence.

Multiple counties in the area hunkered down and schools remained closed amid warnings from officials to keep watch for the suspect.

Law enforcement hopes to 'wear down' suspect

Law enforcement aims to "apply steady pressure at wearing Mr. Couch down," Pennington said at a news conference Monday . "Hopefully he has no water and nothing to eat."

Authorities have deployed helicopters and drones to circle the area and trained canines to search the woods, Pennington said. "Hopefully, he will basically just walk out of the woods and give himself up."

A picture posted to Pennington's Facebook page showing an aerial view of a wide wooded area around the highway "provides a snapshot of the vast area we have to cover," Pennington wrote. Pennington said troopers are searching a "jungle" environment, using machetes to cut through vegetation.

Cliffs, sinkholes, caves, culverts, creeks, rivers and dense brush are complicating the manhunt for the Laurel County shooting suspect, Pennington said, along with wildlife such as venomous snakes.

“Yes, there are paths, but when we’re looking for somebody, we have to go through those dense areas,” he said. “We have to go to make sure no rock is unturned.”

Local schools stay closed

Schools in nearby Laurel County, Kentucky, remained closed for a second day on Tuesday "out of an abundance of caution," Laurel County Public Schools announced . London Mayor Randall Weddle urged residents of the town of around 7,500 to stay calm and "stand together." London is around 140 miles southeast of Louisville.

"While one person's actions may seek to instill fear, they will not alter our spirit," he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday morning. "Together, we will heal, rebuild, and emerge stronger than ever."

More: Suspect said he planned to 'kill a lot of people' before I-75 shooting

Suspect said he planned to 'kill a lot of people'

Couch, a 32-year-old former member of the Army Reserves, is charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault. He will likely face more charges for damage to other vehicles and running from authorities, Laurel County felony prosecutor Jackie Steele told the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network .

Couch told the mother of his child in a text message the evening of the shooting that he planned to "kill a lot of people" and to kill himself afterward, according to an affidavit released by the Laurel County Sheriff's Office. Officials interviewed the woman at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Officials announced the reward amount for information leading to Couch's arrest had increased to $35,000. It included $15,000 from Kentucky State Police through Crime Stoppers and $10,000 from an anonymous donor, according to the sheriff's office. Judy Nicholson, the executive director of United Way of Laurel County, announced on Facebook Tuesday morning that the nonprofit is contributing an additional $10,000.

Deputies on Saturday evening recovered an AR-15 rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside a silver Honda SUV abandoned near Exit 49 of the highway. An employee from Center Target Firearms in London confirmed to authorities that Couch purchased the gun and ammunition from the store the morning of the shooting, according to the affidavit.

Kentucky State Police are leading the search, while local deputies are handling the criminal investigation. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also involved, according to Pennington.

Although some of the injured were "severely" wounded, all are expected to recover, according to Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Search for Joseph Couch, Kentucky man accused of I-75 shooting rampage, presses on