Man accused of stealing television; leads officers on foot pursuit

A man was arrested Thursday afternoon after he led police officers on a foot pursuit after allegedly walking out of a store with a stolen television.

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Witnesses say they saw a white male leaving Wal-Mart carrying a television and was headed south.

Officers responded to the area between Wal-Mart and the Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport. Officers saw the suspect running inside the grounds of the airport and ducked down a few times in an attempt to hide in the tall grass.

After several minutes, officers found the suspect and quickly took him into custody near the airport’s runway. The airport was forced to hold airplanes from landing while the officers cleared the area.

Once in custody, the suspect, John Ritter-Soper, 23, of Guthrie denied he took off with the merchandise, but following a thorough search of the field, between the retail store and airport, the television was located.

Officers were able to look at the store’s surveillance video and said the suspect was seen leaving the store without making a purchase.

Ritter-Soper was later booked into the city jail. Court documents reveal Ritter-Soper was sentenced to a 10-year probation after pleading guilty to drug charges in 2014.