Hogs and a dog were involved in the biggest stories Thursday in the parts of flooded Orange County.
The Beaumont Police Department brought a K-9 to search a flooded wooded area for a man who escaped after being arrested. The man ran off into a section of flood woods west of Highway 87 near Bear Path.
The incident started at 6:52 a.m. when local authorities got a call from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office that they were pursuing a car thief from Newton County.
Department of Public Safety troopers set out spike strips to stop the 2001 Mazda that had been stolen. The driver of the car continued on flat tires, but he lost control of the car and wrecked near Medford Drive across from LCM High School.
Deputies arrested 21-year-old Shane Douglas Blessing of Lake Charles. Sheriff’s Detective Janois Strause said the man was handcuffed behind his back, but he escaped out of the back of a patrol car and ran off into the woods.
The wooded area was flooded and deputies said it was full of snakes and brambles. A wide area was surrounded by police from Orange and West Orange, along with deputies and almost a dozen DPS troopers.
Residents in areas near the woods were warned to stay inside and lock their doors. The man was found about 10:15 a.m. off Cub Trail. This time he stayed in the car and was taken to the Orange County Jail.
Residents in the flooded Old Orange Historic District have seen small alligators and Thursday morning wild hogs were seen running through the neighborhood. The hogs usually live in the marshlands along the river off Simmons Drive.
Steve Maddux reported seeing a wild hog run across MacArthur Drive to Lions City Park on Main Street. The hog then swam across Adams Bayou to an island.
Thursday afternoon water was reported to be going down in Little Cypress Bayou and Adams Bayou, though flooded areas will still be covered for several days.
The river gauge in downtown Thursday afternoon was at 7.57 feet. Thursday morning it was at 7.62 feet. The National Weather Service predicts it will not go down to 6 feet, which is still considered major flood level, until Monday.
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