Manhunt near Greenwood ends in arrests

An “impressive operation” of crime was discovered Friday after neighbors in the McChapel Road area near Greenwood worked together with law enforcement to track down three men allegedly seen stealing car parts from a junk yard.

Of the three men sought, two were captured. One of the two men that were arrested held an outstanding warrant for manslaughter in Jackson County.

Jackson County Sheriff Major John Dennis said the three men are suspects in a number of similar thefts that have occurred in the area.

By late Friday afternoon, Terry Thomas, 19, of 5858 Panda Ln., Bascom, and Jarvis Antwan Baker, 20, of 1702 Cottondale Village Apartments were charged with grand theft and booked into the Jackson County Correctional Institution.

A third suspect who has not been identified is still being sought. He’s is described as a young black male. Dennis said he believes that the man will be apprehended soon.

Dennis said deputies found evidence in the area on Friday and later on Saturday that revealed an impressive operation. Some items found included tools believed to have been used in several theft incidents.

“We removed quite a bit of stuff there, mainly because of the good community support. People called us and assisted us in tracking the suspects. As the suspects went through the community, residents were helpful in keeping a look out and keeping us informed,” said Dennis.

Dennis said the men were stealing catalytic converters from area vehicles and selling the converters to make money. Catalytic converters contain precious metals, including platinum, that can sell for top dollar at scrap metal yards.

“We’ve had numerous stolen here in Jackson County, through out the state of Florida and everywhere else due to the increase in price of the metals inside the catalytic converters. In this case, the people that have been apprehended are suspects in a number of this type of theft,” said Dennis.

Dennis said the men are linked to other cases of theft due to strong similarities in modus operandi.

Friday’s incident began minutes before noon, when the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a theft report on McChapel Road.

A deputy was informed at the scene that three black males were seen stealing parts from a junk yard privately owned by the McKay family.

The three suspects fled across a field, and area residents began to assist deputies in tracking them down.

One resident could be seen walking the dirt road with no shirt and some type of assault rifle, waiting by a stretch of woods in which he believed the suspects were hiding.

Canine units from Apalachicola, Jackson and Calhoun Correctional Institutions were on scene to assist. A helicopter from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit was also dispatched to the search, which covered a corridor of fields and woods between Highway 2 and Old US Road.

At 3:20 p.m., Thomas was taken into custody without incident near the intersection of Dekle Road and Hwy. 2, according to authorities.

Baker was apprehended at 3:43 p.m., in a wooded area near the end of Dekle Road, without incident, authorities said.

“The guys did a great job. We’re also very grateful for the help from Department of Corrections with the canines. Everyone out there did a great job. They went out there and stuck with it until we got two of them and I think the third one we’ll get pretty soon,” said Dennis.

‘Baker had warrant for manslaughter’

Baker had an outstanding warrant for manslaughter from an incident that occurred on Panda Lane in December 2007, when a man named Joshua Smith was allegedly shot dead by Baker, according to JCSO.

“A grand jury indicted him for manslaughter and issued a warrant for him. Since he was not in custody,  the indictment is sealed. Now that he’s been apprehended, the process will pick back up again. He’ll go to first appearance and then face an arraignment, just as if he’d done it yesterday,” explained Chief Assistant State Attorney Joe Grammer.

Grammer said Baker was charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

“He claimed it was an accident but the grand jury felt otherwise,” said Grammer.

Thomas also had a warrant out of Georgia, said Dennis, for violating probation.