Anonymous tip leads to arrest
After a three-week manhunt, Giler County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) officers caught felon Terry Turner.
Deputies found Turner, 40, at a residence on Knight Road.
On Dec. 26, local community members spotted Turner, a felon convicted of armed robbery, running after a deer and firing a firearm at it, according to an incident report filed by GCSO Deputy Jeff Ellington.
Several people called in to the GCSO to help them trace him.
Deputies weren’t able to find him for nearly three weeks.
It can be hard to find a criminal on the run, GCSO Captain Frank Copeland said.
“Some people move around a lot. They won’t stay in the same place, especially when they know that they’re being looked for,” he said.
On Jan. 16, deputies finally got the breakthrough they needed. An anonymous tipster said Turner was at a residence on Knight Road. Deputy James Knight, Corporal Clayton Hughes, Deputy Blake Heptinstall, Deputy Scott Camp, Deputy Alexis Stanley and Sergeant Lexia Robinson went to make the arrest.
When Heptinstall got to the house, the people inside denied Turner was there for about 45 minutes while deputies waited for a search warrant.
Then came a second breakthrough.
One man stepped outside the house. When Knight talked to him away from the house, he said Turner was still inside. This man was the same one who sent the tip to GCSO.
With that, officers could move in with probable cause.
Once they got inside, they found Turner hiding above the ceiling of the home.
They also found a BB gun rifle, which Turner said was the same gun he was carrying in the video.
With that, deputies transported Turner to the Gilmer County Adult Detention Center.
He was charged with misdemeanor failure to wear fluorescent orange clothing; hunting upon or discharging weapons across a public road; hunting with unlawful weapon; hunting/fishing without a license; two counts misdemeanor hunting/fishing without proper stamps; probation violation when probation terms are altered for fingerprintable charge; and receipt, possession or transport of firearm by convicted felon or felony first.
“Our folks do a great job whenever it comes to doing these kinds of things. We train for it quite a bit,” Copeland said.