Matthews facing host of charges after hour-long chase on Lake Cumberland

Posted July 6, 2017 at 1:59 pm

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A Clinton County man was the object of a boat chase on Lake Cumberland over the weekend that, according to authorities, lasted for over an hour and spanned at least three counties

Kyle Matthews, 25, of Clinton County, was lodged in the Russell County Detention Center at 10:58 p.m. on Saturday, according to information from that facility.

Among the several charges Matthews is now facing are eight counts of wanton endangerment in addition to operating a boat while intoxicated and operating a boat recklessly.

The arresting officer was Wayne Wilson, an officer of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources Agency, a division of the Kentucky State Police.

According to a telecast from a television station, Officer Wilson noted that he responded to Jamestown Marina after a report of a suspected intoxicated man attempting to operate a boat in the area.

Wilson said when he spotted Matthews, he took off in a crowded section of the lake after the officer had turned on his emergency lights. The officer further noted that the suspect was running wide open in an area that was congested and had many people in the water swimming.

The report also said Matthews nearly struck several boats during the event and at one point Wilson said that Matthews used his boat to strike the patrol boat during the ordeal.

The chase began around 7:00 p.m. Saturday near Jamestown Marina and ended near Grider Hill Marina near the mouth of Indian Creek.

In addition to officers from the KDFWR, officers from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department and the Kentucky State Police assisted in the arrest.