A Hopewell Township man arrested Monday morning on outstanding warrants jumped out of a state police cruiser and ran into a nearby cornfield, forcing police to search for him on foot and by helicopter for nearly 2-1/2 hours.

Kenneth Leo Farrell Jr., 29, of 96 Smokebox Circle, was spotted and captured at 11:52 a.m. not far from his home -- with handcuffs still around one wrist, police said.

Farrell was first arrested Monday morning by a state trooper on outstanding warrants from Maryland, including a burglary warrant, according to Trooper Adam Reed, a state police spokesman.

The trooper handcuffed Farrell and put him in the cruiser, but Farrell managed to escape about 9:15 a.m., according to Reed.

Jumped out window: "He actually jumped out of the patrol car (window)," Reed said, adding the cruiser was stopped when Farrell fled.

Assisting in the search were Southern Regional Police, Stewartstown Police, a state police helicopter and Lou, a tracking bloodhound with the York County Sheriff's Office.

During the search, Farrell was spotted hiding behind a neighbor's shed and running into a wooded area, according to York County 911 radio transmissions.

He was spotted and captured in the first block of Smokebox Circle.

The search was centered in a development just north of Stewartstown that includes Smokebox Circle and Brakeman Drive.

Pot plants found: Also during the search, officers stumbled onto a small number of marijuana plants growing in the nearby cornfield, police confirmed.

It's unclear who planted them, according to state police.

Troopers seized the plants and destroyed them, police said.

-- Staff writer Liz Evans Scolforo can also be reached at levans@yorkdispatch.com.