Eight-hour manhunt ends with arrest

Published 11:30 am Tuesday, September 11, 2012

COURTLAND—A nearly eight-hour manhunt on Monday for an Idaho man accused of stealing a car ended when he was found attempting to steal an ATV, said Major Gene Drewery with the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office.

More then 40 officers searched for Dennis Wynn Paulsen Jr., 32, of Idaho Falls, who allegedly ran when a deputy found him along Flaggy Run Road outside Courtland with a car stolen from Cars & Credit on Southampton Parkway in Courtland.

Paulsen was arrested after he was spotted 1½ miles away from the Flaggy Run Road location sitting on an ATV he was attempting to steal from a Virginia Department of Forestry building on Governor Darden Road.

“He had pushed it out of the building and was sitting in the yard,” Drewery said. “The deputy spotted him and he was taken into custody.”

Officials got a call at 9:20 a.m. for a suspicious person on Flaggy Run Road. When a deputy arrived, he found Paulsen. As the deputy spoke with Paulsen, he allegedly took off into the woods.

Officials also learned he was wanted in Bonneville County, Idaho, for walking away from work release duty. Idaho officials do not want to extradite Paulsen, Drewery said.

Deputies also found tools in the stolen vehicle belonging to J.H. Lee & Sons on Flaggy Run Road, Drewery said.

Paulsen was charged with two counts of grand larceny and one count each of burglary and petty larceny. He was taken to the county jail without bond.

Assisting in the search were Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Corrections and Franklin Police.