PULASKI COUNTY, Va. – A Dublin man is behind bars after running from law enforcement and forcing schools to close in Pulaski County.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office says 29-year-old Dylan Swecker was arrested for assault early Tuesday morning along Ridgeview Way.
But after he was handcuffed, deputies say he forced his way out of the patrol vehicle and ran into a neighborhood steps away from Pulaski County High School and Middle School.
The sheriff alerted school superintendent Dr. Kevin Siers around 5 a.m. and recommended that the district close both schools for the day as a precaution and to not impede the search. The elementary school was not impacted.
“Safety is always first on our mind. And any time there’s a potential danger, we want to err on the side of caution and that’s what we did this morning,” said Siers.
“As a parent, I was concerned for, you know, other families in the area,” said Cara Smythers, an employee at the middle school and a parent of two high school students.
She says the news was alarming, but she was pleased with the district’s response.
“I think that it was handled very well,” said Smythers.
Deputies searched on the ground and from the sky using a drone. After a three-hour long manhunt, they found Swecker around 8 a.m. about a mile away from where he was arrested and safely took him back into custody.
Swecker is facing an additional felony charge for escaping police. He’s being held at the New River Valley Regional Jail without bond.
Classes will resume as normal Wednesday for all Pulaski County Public School students.