Woodstock, CT — Connecticut State Police K9 teams and a drone unit were utilized Sunday evening to track down a wanted felon who fled into the woods following a crash on Route 171.
At approximately 4:51 p.m. on Sunday, May 24, 2026, the Woodstock Fire Department, Muddy Brook Fire Department, Bungay Fire Brigade, Woodstock EMS, and the Connecticut State Police were dispatched to the area of 782 Route 171 for reports of a single vehicle versus utility pole.
According to the Connecticut State Police, a 2019 Subaru Legacy was traveling westbound on Route 171 when the operator lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway, and struck a utility pole. The operator and one of the vehicle’s two passengers fled the scene on foot. The passenger who remained at the scene was transported with what were believed to be minor injuries.
After troopers learned two occupants had fled, Trooper First Class Mara and his K9 partner, Kash, were requested to begin tracking them. The passenger who remained at the scene reportedly told troopers he had been traveling with another male and female but did not identify them.
K9 Kash followed a scent track for approximately 1.3 miles through dense woods and swamp terrain, ultimately locating the female — later identified as Destiany J. Spencer of Putnam — near the area of Pulpit Rock Road and Route 171.
According to police, once in custody Spencer identified the outstanding male suspect as Jesse James Brown of Pomfret and stated he was fleeing due to multiple active warrants. Troopers also learned Brown was reportedly wearing gray sweatpants and a sweatshirt at the time.
Spencer was taken into custody and transported to Troop D for processing.
Troopers later confirmed Brown had four active warrants and a history of violent behavior. With the new information, the K9 track was reinitiated, and two additional K9 teams from Troop E in Montville were requested to assist.
A Connecticut State Police drone was requested but was reportedly unavailable. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from the East Putnam Fire Department was subsequently requested through fire department channels to assist in the search.
As K9 Kash continued tracking, troopers located a large bag hidden in the woods near 814 Route 171. According to police, the bag contained Brown’s driver’s license, more than $2,000 in cash, multiple prescription pills packaged in clear plastic baggies, Suboxone, a white rock-like substance, drug paraphernalia, and a container of empty sandwich baggies.
Nearly two hours into the search, with multiple K9 teams and East Putnam’s UAV-179 operating in the area, troopers reportedly received information that a homeowner’s security camera had alerted them to a man matching Brown’s description running through a yard on Shields Road.
Units shifted operations to the Shields Road area and, approximately 30 minutes later, received reports that the suspect had walked past a firefighter before fleeing back into the woods near Rocky Hill Road.
K9 Kash was redeployed in the Rocky Hill Road area and quickly located Brown approximately four-tenths of a mile into the woods near a large pond.
Brown was taken into custody and searched. Troopers reportedly recovered a clear plastic baggie containing a white powdery substance that later tested positive for fentanyl, along with drug paraphernalia and a small amount of cash.
Brown was transported to Day Kimball Hospital by Woodstock EMS before later being transferred to Hartford Hospital with suspected serious injuries. It remains unclear whether those injuries were sustained during the initial crash or during his apprehension by K9.
Charges
Destiany J. Spencer
Released on a $1,000 non-surety bond:
- Interfering with an Officer / Resisting Arrest
Jesse James Brown
Brown held on a $50,000 cash/surety bond:
- Evading Responsibility – Physical Injury
- Illegal Operation of a Motor Vehicle Under Suspension
- Failure to Drive in the Proper Lane
- Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Minimum Insurance
- Operating an Unregistered Motor Vehicle
- Failure to Keep Narcotics in Original Container
- Sale of a Narcotic Substance
- Operation of a Drug Factory
- Possession of a Controlled Substance – 2nd Offense
- Use of Drug Paraphernalia
- Interfering with an Officer
Quiet Corner Alerts maintains a policy of not revealing the names of victims or suspects unless they are actively being sought by law enforcement or pose a perceived threat to the public.