NKY resident feels unsafe after ‘absolute chaos’ in search for wanted man

INDEPENDENCE, Ky. (WXIX) - An overnight search for a wanted man ended in a Northern Kentucky neighborhood and some residents feeling unsafe.

Independence police say Jeffrey Scherder had been wanted for over a week before he was arrested around 6 a.m. Wednesday.

“I was laying on the couch just watching TV, and all of a sudden, someone was pounding on my back door, and I mean pounding on my backdoor,” recalls Hartland resident Judi Brodbeck.

Brodbeck says she knew police were looking for a man late Tuesday after she saw social media posts.

When she heard the door rattling, Brodbeck said she froze.

“I could see just like this shadow and his arm hitting the glass window,” the Hartland resident explains.

Independence police say an officer identified Scherder and his vehicle on Tuesday, but during the traffic stop, the wanted man drove off.

Eventually, Scherder ended up on foot and on the run, police say.

An overnight search involving several agencies, five K-9 officers and two drones were used to try and find Scherder, according to police.

“There were tons of police down in the woods with flashlights,” Brodbeck said.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, described feeling “tense” during what they said was “absolute chaos.”

Brodbeck says the man came through the woods from her backyard and climbed the patio stairs to reach her backdoor.

“I keep this gate here and the chairs in front of it, so my little puppy doesn’t get down the steps because there’s coyotes and stuff down there, and he knocked down the chair and knocked down the gate,” recalls Brodbeck.

The anonymous resident said SWAT was called in, and “the whole neighborhood was locked down.”

Scherder was found around 6:15 a.m. and is undergoing an evaluation before being transported to the Kenton County Detention Center, according to Independence police.

Tuesday night’s events left Brodbeck feeling uneasy.

“You don’t feel safe, and I always feel safe; now I don’t,” said Brodbeck.

Scherder was wanted on felony warrants, and police say he now faces additional charges of criminal mischief, fleeing and wanton endangerment.

Independence police also said the Kenton County Police Department has a warrant out for Scherder’s arrest for burglarizing a residence and shooting at or toward someone’s home.

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