Three wanted men are in custody after a brief vehicle pursuit and subsequent manhunt in Clarkesville Wednesday afternoon.
Habersham County officials were contacted by investigators in the Dalton area who were tracking a rental vehicle that had three suspects who were involved in burglaries and thefts in their jurisdiction.
That vehicle was tracked to Habersham County, where a Habersham County deputy encountered it near Dairy Queen in Clarkesville.
The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled, initiating a brief car chase that ended in front of Dunkin Donuts in Clarkesville.
All three occupants of the vehicle fled on foot. Two went into the Wilbanks Lumber property, while the third went into the woods and continued to run on foot.
The two that went into the grounds of Wilbanks Lumber were apprehended shortly after in a woodpile inside a building by investigators, deputies, and other officers. One of the two men was wanted for aggravated assault.
Despite canine units’ best efforts, they were unable to establish a true track on the third man due to wind and saturation in the area.
While meeting with Habersham County Sheriff’s Investigator George Cason, Clarkesville Police Chief Danny Clouatre and Officer Brant Benoit around 8 p.m., the three observed a white, late model vehicle with dark tinted windows pick up a male who came out of the woods and then immediately left the area.
Because they were some distance from the vehicle, they and other units began to canvass the area attempting to locate it.
Cason located the vehicle traveling south on Highway 365 at Level Grove Road and initiated a traffic stop on 365 at Duncan Bridge Road in Baldwin once a backup unit arrived with him.
The third suspect, who was a passenger in that car, was arrested during that traffic stop.
In addition to pending obstruction and fleeing charges, “There was a crime that was committed there at My Georgia Credit Union where a debit card was used from a member of My Georgia Credit Union by these men, and we’re going to be following up on that,” Cason said.
All three men will be booked in at the Habersham County Detention Center in Clarkesville.
Cason said the case is bigger than just North Georgia.
“They’re going around using debit cards, credit cards, fraudulent checks, doing a lot of fraud and stuff where they’re stealing money from people,” Cason said. “It’s tied into about five different states, possibly six, all the way even out to Texas.”
Cason said the female driver who picked up the third man will not face charges at this time.
“She was cooperative and released on scene along with her adolescent daughter,” Cason said.
She had been called by the man saying there had been an emergency and she needed to come get him. Cason said when she saw that he was hot and sweaty, she suspected something might be wrong.
“She was just waiting for one of us to pull her over,” Cason said.
“We especially want to thank Clarkesville Police Department for all their help, as well as all agencies that responded or sent personnel,” Cason said.
The sheriff’s office appreciates the help of K-9 teams from Banks County and White County, a helicopter from Georgia State Patrol Aviation, and police officers from Demorest and Baldwin.
No firearms were located on any of the suspects, and there was no information that any of them was armed.
Information about the men arrested and charges will be forthcoming within the next 24 hours.
The investigation is continuing.
- Habersham County