The fugitive wanted for shooting an officer in Tennessee is still on the run. LEX 18 has learned that this is not the first time Floyd Ray Cook has pulled a daring escape.
LEX 18 investigative reporter, Richard Essex, has confirmed that Cook was one of eight prisoners that escaped from Eddyville State Penitentiary in the late 1980s.
In 1988, the convicts escaped from the maximum-security Kentucky State Penitentiary about 2 a.m. under the cover of diversionary fires set by other inmates.
http://liarcatchers.com/contact.php
All the inmates were recaptured. Cook was serving jail time for rape of a minor. It was his failure to comply with the sex offender registry laws that got him pulled over Saturday.
Tennessee Deputies tried pulling over Floyd Ray Cook as he was wanted for violating the sex offender registry and trafficking drugs, but it didn’t take long for the traffic stop to take a violent turn.
“Shots fired! Shots fired! Officer down! Officer down!” was the call that came through dispatch.
The 62-year-old man now faces an attempted murder charge for shooting the officer. Thankfully, the bullets struck the officer’s bullet-proof vest and he is expected to be just fine.
An hour later there were more shots, this time in Kentucky, when a state trooper tried to pull Cook over. The convicted rapist and robber wrecked his truck and took off into the woods after a shootout with the trooper in Cumberland County.
Officials believe that Cook could be in Cumberland County or Marion County. He may also be with 50 year-old Troy E. Wayne and a younger female named Katie McCarty. At this time, McCarty and Wayne are persons of interest only.
Cumberland County schools will remain closed on Wednesday as they search for the men. It’s the third day in a row that schools have been cancelled for safety concerns. The FBI has joined in the search.
Officials have a few pieces of evidence they’re wanting to find. One such piece is a 2003 Ford Mustang, maroon in color with a cloth black top. It was stolen near where Cook once lived. Authorities say there’s no direct connection- but it’s suspicious that the vehicle was stolen at the same time Cook was on the run.
If you spot Cook, McCarty or Wayne, do not approach them. Call 911 immediately.
