Family members suspected trouble for Herbert Lee III

LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB-TV)--The man who took four young lives while running from police may have just blown his second chance. Herbert Lee Junior appeared in court Friday morning. But people close to him suspected he was up to no good.

"We had no idea until we saw him in the car who it was until we got him out," says Lt. Johann Steimle, with LMPD's Violent Crimes Task Force.

Thursday evening, police say Lee was behind the wheel of a stolen red Chevy Camaro; he was arrested and faced a judge on Friday Morning.

We spoke to Lee's grandfather by phone on Friday. Herbert Lee Sr. says,"If he would have been where he was supposed to be none of this would have happened."

Mr. Lee admits there were warning signs that his grandson was blowing his second chance.

"Somebody seen him driving a car and they called me and they called his family and they told me. And I called him and said something to him about it," says Senior."

The elder Lee says Herbert denied the rumors, but he still gave his grandson a bit of advice. He says,"I told him this: I said, Herb if you get caught driving any car...whether it's stolen or a legal car...they're going to make a big deal out of this if they catch you behind the wheel of a car."

But the arrest came as a big surprise to the families of the four teenagers who were killed when Lee ran from police in a stolen car in December of 2008 and crashed into a tree.

"Real sad and real hurtful. Really let the family...really just shocked us. Just sad," says Frank Shields, father of one of the crash victims.

"He needs some rehabilitation. All our kids do you know you can't just sit them in there and think they going to come out here and do the right thing," says Robin Shields, mother of crash victim.

This all comes just a few days before Lee was scheduled to participate in a public memorial to honor the four teenagers. Lee had visited the site, written letters and even met with family members. It all prompted the father of three of the victims to extended the invitation. "Marc Hampton told Herbert Lee then that he wanted him to be part of hopefully helping him with the memorial at some level," says Christopher 2X, with Fight Crimes Against Children.

Lee is scheduled to be back in court in about a week and a half.