LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18)– There was a heavy police presence in Lexington on Friday as the search for a Frankfort murder suspect continued.
Police arrived at the Bryan Station Inn on East New Circle Road around 3:30 a.m.
The investigation was tight-lipped for a while, but police later confirmed that they believed Derek Garten was inside a room at the motel.
Garten is a suspect in the murderof 39-year-old Margaret Elizabeth Smith earlier this week.
The Lexington Police Department released a statement regarding the incident:
The Lexington Police Department is working an incident involving a barricaded subject at the Bryan Station Inn, which has created a significant traffic impact on New Circle Road. Access to both the inner and outer loop of New Circle Road is blocked between Bryan Station Rd and North Limestone.
The man barricaded inside the motel is believed to be Derek Garten, a murder suspect wanted out of Franklin County.
Customers in other rooms were evacuated. The Lexington Police Emergency Response Unit and Crisis Negotiation Unit have been on scene for several hours working to resolve this incident.
The inner and outer loop of New Circle Road, between Limestone and Bryan Station, was closed off to traffic for several hours.
