A stop for illegally crossing the roadway quickly escalated into the apprehension of an out-of-state fugitive, according to reports released by the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office. Hugo Gerardo Vazquez Acosta, 35, was arrested on September 27, 2025, after a Chattooga County deputy discovered he was wanted in Kentucky for a felony charge of vehicle theft.

The incident began when Deputy Justin Claxton (S016) was patrolling Highway 27 near the intersection of Grady Place. According to the incident narrative, Deputy Claxton observed a male and female pedestrian “enter the roadway without regard for traffic,” forcing the officer to nearly strike the couple as they crossed the highway outside of a designated crosswalk.

Obstruction and False Identity

Deputy Claxton initiated a stop to address the dangerous violation. The female, identified as Makayla Magness (who was later released), initially refused to provide her name. When Mr. Vazquez Acosta was asked for identification, he provided the false name of “Edagr Vaszquez.”

The officer’s attempts to verify the provided information failed to yield a valid license across multiple state databases, raising immediate suspicion.

“I then asked Mr. Edgar Vaszquez if he provided me the right name,” Deputy Claxton wrote in the report. “He stated yes at first and then I asked him again, describing to Mr. Edgar Vaszquez that his information was not returning.”

After approximately 30 minutes of investigation on the scene, Deputy Claxton advised Vazquez Acosta that he would be arrested for obstruction and providing a false name. As the deputy moved to place handcuffs on him, Vazquez Acosta “quickly tried to stand up and turn around,” leading the deputy to swiftly secure him in the patrol vehicle.

Fugitive Status Confirmed at Jail

During transport to the Chattooga County Detention Center, Vazquez Acosta made a spontaneous utterance, apologizing for lying and stating that his real first name was Hugo. However, it was only after arriving at the jail that the suspect provided his full, accurate identity.

Dispatch confirmed the true name, Hugo Gerardo Vazquez Acosta, which returned a match out of Kentucky. Vazquez Acosta was found to have an active Failure to Appear (FTA) warrant for theft of a vehicle from the Elkton Police Department in Elkton, Kentucky.

The Elkton Police Department was contacted and requested a hold be placed on Vazquez Acosta for extradition proceedings.

Vazquez Acosta was officially charged by the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office with:

Giving False Name and Date of Birth to Officers
Obstruction of Officers (Misdemeanor)
Crossing Roadway Elsewhere Than at Crosswalk
Fugitive/Uniform Criminal Extradition Act

All events related to the arrest were documented on the Deputy’s body-worn camera, according to the incident report. The female companion was released from the scene, though the report noted a separate incident report was filed regarding her interaction with police.