Police are now saying that J.R. Allen, the 34-year-old man arrested in Magoffin County earlier this week in connection with the shooting death of Sally Vance last year, had been actively hiding from the law since the incident took place.

Allen was taken into custody during a traffic stop in a school parking lot in the Middle Fork area of Magoffin County, and authorities have said they believe he could be the shooter who fired into the vehicle Vance was a passenger in that resulted in her fatal wounding.

In August of last year, Vance was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Jesse Dulaney that was involved in a shootout during which gunfire was exchanged between those with Dulaney and several people at a home Allen. Vance, who was 28 at the time of the shooting, was killed in the exchange and Dulaney was arrested shortly after the incident during another traffic stop.

Dulaney was indicted on a murder charge and has since pleaded not guilty during his arraignment.

Allen now also faces charges of murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Kentucky State Police said they had been seeking Allen since he was indicted in March, according to KSP Spokesman Mike Goble, who said the most solid lead authorities had during that time was that Allen may have been staying with family members at Middle Fork.

Magoffin County Sheriff Bob Jordan said he and his local officers had been visiting the home about once a week in hopes of finding Allen at home to make an arrest, but had had no luck, believing he had run into the nearby hills to elude capture.

Allen was arrested while in the back seat of a vehicle parked at a school in the area this week. Officers had been responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle parked there and found him when they arrived to investigate the complaint.

No court date has yet been set for Allen.