MARSHALL COUNTY, MS (abc24.com) - It was an all-out manhunt in Mississippi. Law enforcement officers from across north Mississippi were searching homes, stopping cars, even scouring by air for any sign of a suspect who nearly ran down a high-ranking Marshall County Sheriff's deputy.
"We're not giving up," said Sheriff's Major Kelly McMillen. "We're still looking."
The Marshall County Sheriff's Department said it was trying to arrest Jerome Totten, 41, on a burglary warrant when he took off. Investigators say he nearly ran McMillen's vehicle off a county road before leading deputies on a chase that topped 100 mph.
Eventually Totten wrecked his white pick-up and ran into the woods.
"This time of year everything is green so, we could have walked right by him and never made contact with him," McMillen said. "That's why we had so many K-9 units."
Investigators also want to question Totten in more than a dozen recent church break-ins in Marshall and Tate counties.
"It would sure be nice if we could get a break in these cases," McMillen said.
"He's been in trouble all his life, everyone knows that, ain't no secret." said Burt Totten, Jerome's uncle. "If he watching the news I hope he just turns hisself in, they going to catch him, ya know, that's the easy thing to do, turn hisself in, he won't get hurt." he said.
Totten doubts his nephew had anything to do with those church break-ins.
"When you have a record and been in jail, theft and stuff, every time something come up you know they are going to look for you," he said.
The Sheriff's Department says it continues to offer a "substantial" reward for information leading to the arrest of someone in connection with those church break-ins. Anyone with information is urged to call CrimeStoppers of Northeast Mississippi at 1-800-773-TIPS (8477).
