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Suspect Fleeing Custody in Downtown Boone Quickly Captured, Ends Up With More Charges

By Jesse Wood

On his way to the Magistrate’s Office in handcuffs on Tuesday morning, Derick Canter, 24, of Boone, fled custody and was found hiding in a culvert containing Kraut Creek near the old Southern States building, Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman confirmed.

He was initially arrested for failing to pay child support by the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office. Charges pertaining to resisting an officer and marijuana paraphernalia were soon added.

The Boone Police Department and the Appalachian State Police Department responded to the search. To avoid endangering law enforcement personnel, officers with the Boone Police Department administered tear gas to take Canter into custody.

“Mr. Canter received a tearing agent designed to cause temporary disorientation by the Boone PD into the culvert that contains ‘Kraut Creek,’ so as to not expose officers to a confined space and to safely allow Mr. Canter an opportunity to exit on his own,” Hagaman said.

The Appalachian was on the scene reporting and taking photos.

Here’s a tweet storm from Lee Sanderlin with some interesting details of the incident: