Joseph Couch, 32, is the subject of a statewide manhunt as he is suspected of shooting five people on Interstate 75 in Kentucky on September 10.
The shootings took place near exit 49 on the highway, and multiple people called 911 to report that they themselves or other motorists were being fired on.
Cops are looking for Couch, who they believe is hiding in the woods in the southern part of Kentucky.
Now, his neighbors say he has a history of threatening behavior, and arrest records back up their claims. One neighbor claimed Couch had pointed a rifle at him, and others said he behaved in an erratic manner, walking around in circles on his property while carrying his rifle.
Police records show that cops arrested Couch at his home in Gray, Kentucky, on February 8 on charges of third-degree terroristic threatening. His house is about 20 miles away from the interstate exit where police say Couch wounded five motorists with a gun this past weekend.
His February arrest by state police was sparked by a complaint from a neighbor who said Couch threw a rock at his dog. When the neighbor, whose name was not disclosed in media reports, went over to sort this out, he said Couch pointed an assault rifle at him and his child.
The neighbor said Couch went back to his house and “grabbed an AR-15” which he pointed at the neighbor and his daughter, threatening to shoot them if they came onto his property again. “Naturally I went and filed charges on him,” the neighbor said. But the court dropped charges against Couch as the neighbor did not show up for a court hearing.
That same neighbor claims Couch has threatened other people in the neighborhood, and he says three of his dogs died of poisoning, which he suspects Couch is responsible for.
Another neighbor, 61-year-old Donald Causey, said he got along fine with Couch until the man’s behavior changed early this year. Causey said that Couch pointed a gun at him last week simply for walking near Couch’s property. “I’ll just kill you,” Causey claims Couch said.
Causey said he now wishes he had called the police given the shootings on the highway this past weekend.
An arrest warrant for Couch claims that he sent a text message claiming he was going to “kill a lot of people.” An unidentified woman who was the recipient of the text messages said Couch also said he would take his own life after going on a killing spree.
Cops are combing through the woods, including the Daniel Boone National Forest seeking Couch. There is a total of $35,000 in reward money up for anyone with information leading to Couch’s arrest.
