CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Authorities conducted an extensive multi-agency manhunt Saturday evening along Island Road after a suspect fled the scene of a crash, leading deputies on a search that included K-9 units, drones, and state highway patrol aircraft.
According to a report from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began around 5:27 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2026, when deputies responded to a single-vehicle accident near 19661 Island Road. The driver fled the scene on foot, but investigators quickly identified the suspect as Walker Nash Pence, who was wanted on several outstanding arrest warrants.
Hours later, at 8:01 p.m., dispatch received a call from a resident living nearby in the 20000 block of Island Road. The homeowner reported that a man matching the suspect’s description was knocking on her front door.
Deputies arrived within minutes, but the suspect fled north into a nearby wooded area just before officers landed on scene. Law enforcement immediately established a perimeter around the dense woods to contain the suspect.
The search effort expanded rapidly as the sheriff’s office brought in specialized resources, including a Circleville Police Department K-9 unit, a sheriff’s office drone operator, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation Unit.
At 8:34 p.m., deputies confirmed the suspect’s identity as 27 year old Walker Pence after reviewing Ring doorbell camera footage provided by the resident.
Despite an extensive aerial sweep using infrared thermal imaging from both the drone and the state highway patrol helicopter, search teams were unable to locate Pence in the heavy cover. Following a final foot search of the immediate area by deputies on the ground, he was eventually caught and brought to Pickaway Coutny jail.
Pence now in custody has been charged with Probation violations, Parole violations, and possibly other charges that are still under investgation
