KNOX COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) – The man at the center of a Southern Kentucky manhunt spent time in jail earlier this year.

Joseph Couch was arrested after his neighbor issued a warrant for his arrest.

A Knox County man said he had no problems with Couch when he moved into his home in the Gray neighborhood a few years ago.

“He was a very quiet person,” said the man, who did not want to be named. “Like I said, before last February he would hang out with us. He would say ‘hi.’ Our children would play with his children.”

The neighbor said something changed in February 2024. He said Couch threw a rock at his dog and became angry when confronted.

“The next thing I know, he goes into his house, comes back out and there’s a guy with an AR pointed at us saying he’s going to shoot us and the dog next time.”

A warrant obtained by WYMT does not state that the gun was pointed at them. A Knox County deputy said the charges would have been different if that had happened.

Anyway, Couch was arrested and spent some time behind bars.

“Even after the incident where he violently shot me, I still tried to make peace with him, I still tried to be a neighbor to him, I still tried to talk to him.”

The neighbor said Couch’s behavior had deteriorated in recent months, leading to the situation on the highway.

“It shook me to my core. I can’t even speculate why he did what he did or what made him do what he did.”

The man said it’s just an unfortunate situation for everyone and that he also feels sorry for Couch’s family, who have also been affected by this series of events.

Officials said the terroristic threats charges were later dropped because the victim failed to appear in court, but the neighbor said he was never notified of a potential lawsuit.

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