Fleeing suspect arrested after encountering skunk

LEWISTON – A skunk helped police nab a man who had eluded capture for several days.

The man was fleeing from police on foot when he was captured after a skunk sprayed him in the face.

Kenneth Rideout, 32, was captured after he ran into the woods after a traffic stop Tuesday night. He was wanted for violating release conditions stemming from a domestic assault in Greene.

The skunk didn’t stop Rideout, but it slowed him down enough that police officers were able to catch up with him. “It was powerful enough to pretty much incapacitate him. It definitely slowed his momentum,” said Lt. Tom Avery of the Lewiston Police Department.

Officer Eric Syphers arrested the smelly suspect. The squad car reeked by the time the prisoner arrived at the police station. “Sometimes we get help from where we don’t expect it,” Avery said. “We’re calling this skunk Officer Pepe LePew.”