East Louisville residents recount 'unnerving' day as escaped inmate remains on the run

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An escaped inmate who jumped out of the back of a law enforcement vehicle in east Louisville on Thursday morning is still on the run more than 24 hours later, according to police.

Police said 31-year-old Norman K. Wolfe escaped from a Trimble County deputy jailer who was transporting him in an unmarked SUV. Wolfe kicked out the back window, jumped out and ran across Interstate 265 shortly before 9 a.m., according to Louisville Metro Police Department spokesman Aaron Ellis.

Ellis said officers were called to the Interstate 71/265 interchange Thursday after someone reported seeing a man in orange clothing running across all lanes of the Gene Snyder.

After arriving on the scene, police began the search for Wolfe. According to police, he is currently charged with first-degree burglary, fleeing and evading police and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Court documents show he was also scheduled to appear in Trimble County Circuit Court for a hearing Thursday morning.

After escaping the SUV, police said Wolfe kidnapped two people from the 8500 block of Brownsboro Road, near Goose Creek Road. Those who live nearby in the Brownsboro Farm area said it hit too close to home.

"It's not an easy feeling," said a nearby resident who didn't want to identify himself. "I'm still a little nervous to talk about it even though I was not home in the neighborhood. I was actually at the office working and just couldn't get right information at the right time. So it was unnerving."

According to LMPD, Wolfe then allegedly forced the two people he kidnapped to drive him to an area near the intersection of River Road and Edith Road near Louisville Champions Park.

LMPD said the victims were unharmed. Still, neighbors said Thursday was a very unusual day.

"Texts started going back and forth between neighbors," said Lori Peterson, who also lives in the Brownsboro Farm area. "Then the neighborhood sent out a text saying, 'Stay inside. Keep your doors locked.' So that was stressful."

Several Jefferson County Public Schools were briefly placed on heightened security after Wolfe escaped. A private school, Kentucky Country Day, sent a message to parents shortly after 9:30 a.m. Thursday:

"LMPD notified us that a prisoner escaped custody on the Gene Snyder and have advised us to move into a Code Green, Soft Lockdown," the message read. "As a reminder, a Soft Lockdown means there is no immediate threat on campus, but as an extra precaution, all students and faculty move and stay indoors until we receive word of the all-clear. Students and faculty are safe and there is no reason to come to campus."

At about 11:45 a.m., the school sent out another message saying police had given them the "all-clear" and that it was safe to resume normal operations.

Several stores at The Paddock Shops had signs in their windows indicating that they were temporarily closed on Thursday. By the afternoon, they had reopened.

Peterson said she felt relieved after police said the area near the Paddock Shops was cleared but said it's difficult to believe Wolfe is still on the run.

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