A suspect was arrested earlier Thursday following a standoff in Rutherford County Wednesday night.

27-year-old Benjamin Donald Kennedy was wanted on several outstanding warrants as Rutherford deputies encountered him at a residence waving a gun around.

Reports say officers used tear gas in attempts to get Kennedy to surrender; however, he exited the rear of the home and escaped into a wooded area.

The NC Highway Patrol utilized a helicopter to search for Kennedy but he remained at large through Wednesday night.

Shortly after Noon Thursday, Kennedy was taken into custody during a traffic stop and taken to the local detention facility.

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Forest City Police, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, and the NC Department of Public Safety.

Trees for Troops – a national program that provides free farm-grown Christmas trees to armed forces members and their families is gearing up for the season with plans to deliver more than 17-thousand trees to more than 75 military bases in the US and overseas.

Celebrating its thirteenth year, Trees for Troops is a program of the Christmas Spirit foundation, in conjunction with FedEx and American Christmas tree farmers and retailers.

Since 2005, the organization has delivered more than 208-thousand real Christmas trees to the military.

NC has donated more than 16-thousand-550 trees since the program began.

This year, NC has pledged to donate over 700 trees.

To learn more about Trees for Troops visit trees-for-troops-dot-org.