Body of wanted carjacking suspect found in watery culvert, police say
By Kristy Kepley-Steward
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FLETCHER, North Carolina (WLOS) — The body of a man wanted in connection with a carjacking last month in Fletcher has been found in a watery culvert under Howard Gap Road.
Fletcher police say on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, members of the police department located a body under Howard Gap Road near Jackson Road. The body was later identified as wanted robbery suspect, Jacob Allison Hoots, 38.
Authorities had been searching for Hoots since December for multiple charges for his involvement in a carjacking that happened at the Mountain Energy Travel Plaza along Asheville Highway.
On Dec. 17, 2022, authorities say Hoots entered the convenience store and locked the door behind him. After reportedly disrupting customers, attempting to go behind the counter and entering the women’s restroom, customers were able to force him out of the store.
In what police say was an effort to get away, Hoots then headed for a car at the gas pumps. Inside the vehicle were two small children and an elderly woman.
According to police, Hoots entered the passenger’s front door and climbed toward the driver’s seat. Seeing the suspect enter the car, family members quickly pulled the children from and vehicle as the suspect sped off, jumping the curb and heading down Asheville Highway.
A short distance away the vehicle collided with another vehicle, injuring that driver. The driver was transported to an area hospital as Hoots took off on foot.
The Fletcher Police Department credits multiple agencies from the surrounding area, saying it was efforts by the U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office that led police back to the area where Hoots was last known to be seen immediately following the carjacking. “Someone like Hoots, known and frequently encountered by law enforcement doesn’t just disappear” says Fletcher Police Chief Dan Terry.
The Fletcher Police Department spent several days searching nearby fields and wooded areas before Hoots was located inside the culvert under the road. The cause of death is pending further investigation and the results of an autopsy.
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