Police: Man in custody after Benton Co. manhunt
BENTON COUNTY, Tenn. — A manhunt in Benton County leads to an arrest Tuesday. Officers say Joseph Forest, 25, kidnapped his estranged wife and child Monday afternoon and threatened to kill them before disappearing into the woods, shirtless and with no shoes on. Law enforcement says their intense search was because they believed Forest would be a threat to anyone he encountered. They said he was armed with two knives. Before running away, police said he threatened his wife. “He told her, ‘I know law enforcement is looking for me, and if they don’t find me then I’ll find you,'” Camden Police Investigator John Bailey said. “She then gave up what little money she had to try and get away from him.” K-9s from other agencies and the THP helicopter assisted in the search that put neighbors on edge. According to investigators, Forest was eventually picked up on Dotty Road in Camden where they say he was hiding in the bedroom of a friend’s home. This was almost 10 miles from where he first ran into the woods. “With both sets of dogs tracking him, we felt as if he potentiality may of gotten back to the road and possibly gotten a ride out of here,” Bailey said. Officials believe Forest was desperate and just wanted his wife’s car to get out of the area. “We’re investigating several other crimes in Humphreys and Benton County as far as burglaries are concerned,” Bailey said. “There is a potential that he was breaking into people’s homes.” Forest is currently charged with aggravated domestic assault, but more charges may be pending. Forest is expected to appear Wednesday morning in Benton County court.
