By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

Traffic, Chilton County’s deputy K9, is at it again with another suspect successfully tracked down and booked for justice.

Suspect 39-year-old Kevin Ray Lucas of Chilton County, wanted on a fourth-degree theft of property warrant through CCSO and an escape warrant through Shelby County Work Release, was taken into CCSO custody on Sept. 8, according to Assistant CCSO Chief Deputy Shane Mayfield.

Lucas was reportedly frequenting a location on Chilton County Road 774, and was spotted there the night of Sept. 8 by Traffic’s partner Cpl. Cory McCartney and other deputies, Mayfield said.

When Lucas fled on foot, “Deputies established a perimeter around the area, assisted by Jemison police,” Mayfield said. “Cpl. McCartney deployed Traffic and tracked Lucas for approximately an hour before locating him hiding in the woods.”

In addition to the outstanding theft warrant, Lucas is charged by CCSO with attempting to elude law enforcement, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia, Mayfield said.

After facing charges in Chilton County, Lucas was extradited to Shelby County on Sept. 13 to face the first-degree escape charge.

“Traffic has turned out to be a valuable tool for the Sheriff’s Office,” Mayfield said.

On Aug. 17, Traffic located a burglary suspect hiding in a barn loft at a residence located on Chilton County Road 54. Traffic and partner McCartney have also made numerous drug cases.

‘The great thing about traffic is he doesn’t know he’s tracking bad guys or good guys, which is what the sheriff had in mind when he made that investment,” Mayfield said. “He will track just as well on a lost child or elderly person who is lost.”

According to Mayfield, Traffic and McCartney are currently in training “to sharpen their skills for when they’re needed.”