Phillip Stivers, 49, was scheduled to appear for arraignment Tuesday at 9 a.m. in Louisville on charges including kidnapping, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and receiving stolen property valued at $10,000 or more, according to WLKY.
The allegations stem from a collision at Seventh Street Road and Oleanda Avenue. Police said in the arrest citation, as reported by WLKY, that Stivers was driving a stolen vehicle. Two people in the other vehicle were seriously injured and taken to a hospital; their current conditions were not provided in the available reporting.
Police allege that a woman traveling with her 6-month-old baby stopped after the collision and that Stivers approached their vehicle, displayed a gun and demanded that she drive. According to the citation, he threatened to shoot the woman and baby if she did not comply. The woman drove for a period of time before Stivers left the vehicle near Blanton Lane, the report said.
Charges alleged in the case
The reported charges include kidnapping an adult, kidnapping a minor, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, receiving stolen property worth $10,000 or more, wanton endangerment, terroristic threatening, and leaving the scene of an accident without rendering aid or assistance when a death or serious physical injury was involved. Stivers also faces counts for driving without a license and failing to maintain insurance, WLKY reported.
National motor-vehicle-theft context
According to the FBI, the nationwide rate of reported motor-vehicle-theft incidents rose from 199.4 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 283.5 in 2023. That national trend does not by itself establish a pattern in Louisville or Jefferson County, and the available research cited here does not provide comparable local figures for motor-vehicle theft or kidnapping-related offenses.
The charges are allegations, and the case remains pending. The available report does not establish whether additional charges will be filed or provide further details about Stivers’s criminal history.
