Manhunt Suspect Recovering in Shawnee Hospital

A Pottawatomie County manhunt ended Friday with a suspect being pulled from the North Canadian River.

Christopher Goodman is still in the hospital tonight, recovering from a serious case of hypothermia. Deputies say Goodman was driving a stolen truck. After a short chase, he ran into the river and refused to surrender for nearly two hours.

Undersheriff Travis Palmer says his department got a call that a suspicious vehicle was in the area of Brangus Rd. and Westech around 10:45 this morning. It wouldn’t be until 2:00 p.m. that deputies were able to take Goodman into custody.

As for the truck, it had been reported stolen two days ago in Oklahoma City and was crashed into a sand berm near the river.

“He was running a pretty good speed backwards,” Undersheriff Palmer said, "and he tried to come over this berm backwards."

Goodman was cornered on a nearby private property, scaring some neighbors, but no one was hurt. Deputies used a drone to locate Goodman. They found him hiding behind a brush pile in the river. However, it was unclear if Goodman had a weapon or was intoxicated.

The Shawnee Fire Department brought a rescue boat to the scene but by that time, Goodman's temperature dropped to a dangerous level.

“The water is cold,” Undersheriff Palmer said. "It's real cold."

Undersheriff Palmer added this isn't Goodman's first run-in with the law. Deputies know him by name because of his drug and criminal history. Had it not been for a neighbor reporting a suspicious vehicle in the area, the undersheriff say Goodman might still be on the run.

A bond amount and list of complaints against Goodman has yet to be released.

Undersheriff Palmer said stolen vehicle cases are on the rise throughout the state.

“They crush them and part them out. Once they start parting them, you'll never know where they end up. They get what they want out of them and then they burn them."