CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Chillicothe man with active warrants was arrested early Wednesday morning after police discovered him buried under a pile of clothes and blankets in the backseat of a vehicle, leading to a physical struggle with responding officers.
Frederick Watson faces multiple new charges following the incident, which unfolded around 5:30 a.m. on July 1, 2026, at 883 Washington Avenue.
A Report of a Fight Leads to a Hidden Suspect
Chillicothe police officers responded to the scene following a 911 call reporting a disorderly dispute between a man and a woman fighting near a Chevrolet Suburban. Upon arrival, officers located the vehicle and spoke with the driver.
She told officers that she had been arguing with a man, but claimed he fled on foot the moment he saw the police cruiser’s headlights coming down the street. She refused to provide investigators with his name.
However, while speaking with Her, officers looked into the Suburban and spotted a man trying to conceal himself in the backseat underneath a pile of clothing and blankets.
Suspect Refuses to Cooperate or Come Out
Recognizing that the hidden man fit the description of the male involved in the dispute, officers ordered him to identify himself and step out of the vehicle.
According to police narratives, the man completely ignored the commands, refusing to state his name or emerge from underneath the clothes. Officers warned him that if he did not comply, he would be forcibly removed and arrested.
When the suspect continued to resist, officers opened the vehicle door and pulled back the clothing. As the man sat up, officers immediately recognized him from previous encounters as Frederick Watson and knew he was wanted on outstanding warrants.
Physical Struggle and Arrest
When officers grabbed Watson’s arm to pull him from the backseat, he violently resisted, stiffening his upper body and pulling away to break the officer’s grip.
Once officers managed to pull Watson from the vehicle and place him face-down on the ground, the struggle escalated. Police reports state that Watson began rolling around on the ground and pinning his arms tightly beneath his body to prevent being handcuffed.
To gain compliance from the actively resisting suspect, Officer Chance Blankenship delivered a single compliance strike to Watson’s facial area. Watson then stopped fighting and allowed officers to secure his wrists.
A dispatch check confirmed that Watson had two active arrest warrants issued through the Ross County Sheriff’s Office. He was transported to the Ross County Jail, where he was booked on the outstanding warrants alongside new charges of Resisting Arrest, Obstructing Official Business, and Failure to Disclose Personal Information.
