A suspect wanted in the alleged abduction of an elderly woman in Cookeville has been taken into custody.
According to Mayor Ricky Shelton, the victim was found safe but the suspect - 34-year-old Russell Lee Vaughn - ran from police into a neighborhood.
Cookeville Police said he was arrested Thursday at the Green Acres subdivision after an officer spotted him standing in someone's backyard by a shed.
He didn't appear to be under the influence of any drugs.
Mayor Shelton issued an alert on Facebook Wednesday night for people living in the Green Acres subdivision near the Tanglewood area, saying residents should stay inside with their doors locked.
According to police, the investigation began at 7 p.m. after a citizen reported being approached by a vehicle being driven by a white male and a female passenger.
At some point, the person noticed the woman mouth "help me." She told the man she could not help him and the car drove away toward Interstate 40.
Officers couldn't find the vehicle but traced it back to an address using the license plate. They arrived at the home and found that it had been forced open.
The homeowner, to whom the vehicle was also registered, was not there.
Just an hour before, there was a home burglary in the same area. Police said were concerned the woman was possibly abducted during a second burglary.
Additional details of his arrest were not known.
