Last night around 8:00 p.m., Knox County Sheriff’s deputies received a tip that a wanted suspect, Samantha Richards, was at a house on Illinois Street in Bicknell. Upon arrival, deputies spoke with her husband, Ryan Richards, who told them that Samantha was not at the residence. Mr. Richards refused to let deputies look inside the house. There were three separate 911 hang-up calls while deputies were on scene that were traced back to the residence. The female caller, later determined to be Samantha, stated she was at a Bruceville gas station being chased by her husband. Deputies responded to the station, and witnesses stated there had been no domestic dispute at the gas station. The 911 caller made false claims about a domestic dispute to draw police away from the residence. Deputies applied for and were granted a search warrant for the residence and property.
Samantha Richards was located in a vehicle, hiding in the back seat under clothes that were in trash bags. Samantha Richards was transported to the Knox County Jail for both local felony warrants and two new local charges of falsely informing, a Class A misdemeanor, and interfering with the 911 emergency line, a Class A misdemeanor.
Ryan Richards was also arrested and transported to the Knox County Jail for false informing, aiding and abetting, and obstruction of justice (Level 6 Felony).
