MARSHALL COUNTY, MS (abc24.com) - Investigators say they've uncovered new evidence that could tie a Marshall County man to more than a dozen church break-ins.
They say they would love to question Jerome Totten, 41, about the Marshall and Tate County church burglaries, but they need to catch him first.
Investigators tried to arrest Totten on Monday, but he ran from police, nearly running over a sheriff's deputy in the process.
"Once you start running it is hard to stop," said Burt Totten, Jerome's uncle. "He must be out-smarting the police; they can't catch him, all those people."
On Tuesday, investigators swarmed Totten's mother's home on South Highway 309 after getting a tip he had returned to the home after spending the night on the run. Deputies missed him by minutes, as Totten took off out the back door and into the dense woods.
"This guy is born and raised here, this is his territory, so we're kind of playing on his turf," said Major Kelly McMillen with the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.
Again on Tuesday, a low-flying helicopter patrolled the skies as K-9 deputies searched through dense woods.
"You're wearing out your dogs, and resources and everything that you have but at this point, until we get him into custody, that's what you have to do," said McMillen.
Investigators declined to get into specifics about the church break-ins, but said they continue to develop leads.
"Until we get a break and pin him down, get him in a location he can't get away from us, we are still going to be out, continuing to search," McMillen said.
The Sheriff's Department is offering a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of someone in connection with the church burglaries.
