Registered sex offender allegedly swallows narcotics during London police chase

LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — A Tennessee man faces several charges after a chase on Friday evening.

London police said the chase ensued around 9:11 p.m. on March 29 after attempting to pull over a driver who was “operating his vehicle erratically” on I-75.

The driver, later identified as 33-year-old Naythen Edwards, attempted to take exit 15 but damaged his vehicle and returned to the interstate. Officers said that when Edwards realized it was no longer operational, he fled on foot into a wooded area.

Eventually, Edwards was apprehended. According to the London Police Department, he told officers he’d swallowed narcotics during the chase.

“It was also believed that Edwards was a registered Sex Offender on Parole out of Tennessee,” the London Police Department wrote in a press release.

Officers said they administered Narcan and took Edwards to an area hospital for treatment.

According to London police, he faces the following charges alongside “numerous traffic offenses”:

• First-degree wanton endangerment
• First-degree fleeing or evading police (motor vehicle)
• First-degree operating a motor vehicle under the influence
• First-degree fleeing or evading police (on foot)
• First-degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine)
• First-degree possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl)
• Tampering with physical evidence

Edwards was lodged in the Laurel County Detention Center and is set to be arraigned on Monday, March 31.