Locust police make arrest of convicted felon in hiding after K9 pursuit

Photo courtesy of the Stanfield Police Dept.

LOCUST — After what officers described as a “highly suspenseful game of hide and go seek,” the Locust Police Department — with the help of a K9 unit — made an arrest of a convicted felon with parole violations on Oct. 24. 

The Stanfield Police Department’s K9 Tango located Taylor Barnes, of Midland, hiding inside the gated storage facility off of West Main Street in Locust shortly before 3 a.m. 

Barnes was taken to the Stanly County Jail and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting a public officer, misdemeanor breaking and entering, first-degree trespassing, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a revoked license; he was later issued a $30,000 bond. 

The incident began around 2 a.m. as Locust officers attempted to stop the driver of a vehicle for noted suspicious activity. Upon confronting Barnes in his car, he fled the scene on foot, and the investigation became an early-morning foot pursuit throughout western Locust. Officers soon located a firearm in Barnes’ vehicle. 

Members of the Stanfield Police Department, along with deputies from the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, assisted Locust officers with the search for Barnes.  

Per the LPD, Tango jumped over a six-foot tall fence to confront Barnes, and he was taken into custody without incident.  

“No injuries were caused by Tango or suffered by Mr. Barnes except possibly to his feelings. Tango was declared the winner of the hide-and-seek match and was found to be a very humble victor,” the LPD stated in a press release. “The Locust Police Department is extremely appreciative for the always outstanding assistance from the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, Stanfield Police Department, and particularly K-9 SuperTango.” 

Tango is a four-and-a-half-year-old black Dutch shepherd from Ventosa Kennel — a police K-9 training facility — in Scotland Neck, NC.  

Three years ago, Stanfield Lt. Jimmy Schneider partnered up with Tango to give their team assistance in the realms of narcotics, apprehension, and tracking, as the department had gone with a K9 unit for over a decade at that point.