Detectives believe they have put a dent in vehicle burglaries in the Hermitage area with Saturday’s arrests of two 18-year-olds who were free on bond for other offenses earlier this year. In fact, one of the teens, Chris Winters, was arrested a second time on Saturday after he was freed on bond again minutes earlier. He has remained in jail since that second Saturday arrest. His co-defendant, Aliecia McKnight, is expected to be rearrested during the first part of this week.
At 4:35 a.m. on Saturday, Hermitage Precinct officers saw a black Kia Sorento on Royal Parkway that matched the description of a known stolen vehicle as well as the suspect automobile involved in a series of vehicle burglaries. Officers tried to stop the Kia, which Winters is presumed to have been driving. The Kia (which was stolen April 1 from Skyline Ridge Drive in Madison) did not pull over. Instead, it led officers on a 19-minute pursuit as it hit speeds of 120 to 130 mph. The Kia eventually pulled into an apartment complex on E Nocturne Drive where four persons, including Winters and McKnight, jumped out and ran.
McKnight was apprehended outside an apartment building. Winters got into a parked Nissan Altima that is registered to Winters’ sister. Officers, at gunpoint, ordered Winters to get out of the car. Winters ignored the commands and started driving, striking an officer with the side mirror. The Altima collided into a parked car, headed down a hill, and crashed into two more vehicles. Winters again fled on foot. He was taken into custody hiding in the backyard of a nearby home. Back at the stolen Kia, officers found seven pistols inside a red backpack.
Hermitage Precinct officers charged Winters with 15 offenses on Saturday morning, including aggravated assault on a police officer, felony reckless endangerment, vehicle theft, possession of burglary tools, felony marijuana possession, three counts of evading arrest, gun possession in the commission of a dangerous felony, two counts of leaving the scene of a crash, driving without a license, possession of drug paraphernalia, drag racing, and reckless driving. A judicial commissioner set Winters’ bond at $69,000. He posted bond and was released from jail just after 3 p.m. Saturday, but he wasn’t free for long.
Violent Crimes Division detectives had been investigating a series of vehicle burglaries that occurred before sunrise Saturday in the areas of Music Valley Drive, Rudy Circle, and Elm Hill Pike. The stolen Kia was seen by witnesses in those areas. Based on their investigation, detectives swore out an additional 14 arrest warrants against Winters charging him with 10 counts of vehicle burglary and four counts of gun theft from several of those vehicles (guns that were found in the stolen Kia). Detectives encountered Winters outside of the Downtown Detention Center where he had just been released and rearrested him. His bond on Saturday afternoon’s charges was set at $140,000.
Of note, Winters was arrested one month and one day earlier, on April 5, on charges of auto theft, evading arrest, felony gun possession, and felony fentanyl and marijuana possession. He was released on $25,500 bond and is to appear in Criminal Court on those charges on May 25.
McKnight was charged Saturday morning with joyriding in the stolen Kia and evading arrest. She was released on $4,000 bond. Violent Crimes detectives swore out new arrest warrants against McKnight Saturday afternoon charging her with nine counts of auto burglary and three counts of gun theft. Efforts are being made to bring her back into custody.
At the time of Saturday morning’s crimes, McKnight was free on $9,000 bond stemming from her March 23 arrest on charges of auto theft, two counts of gun theft, gun possession in the commission of a dangerous felony, felony drug possession, and aggravated child neglect.
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Chris Winters, 18
Aliecia McKnight, 18