It was a busy Friday for law enforcement after they captured not one, but two wanted criminals.
The manhunts began just before 8 a.m. when the Brewton Police Department’s narcotics unit attempted to serve warrants on a local man wanted on drug charges by the Poarch Creek Tribal Police.
Donnie Turner was wanted on five felony warrants for possession of methamphetamine, prescription pills and marijuana, as well as five misdemeanor warrants, Brewton Police Chief Monte McGougin said Friday morning.
“When a narcotics officer attempted to make contact with Mr. Turner at a home on Riddle Road, Mr. Turner – who was having a cup of coffee at about 7:40 a.m. – noticed the officer and fled,” BPD Chief Monte McGougin said.
Just before 11 a.m., Turner was taken into custody, Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said.
“He was found about three miles from where he fled, hiding in a house behind a barn,” Lambert said of Turner. “K-9 unit from Fountain Prison gave chase as Turner fled. After another short pursuit, Turner was taken into custody without incident.”
Lambert said officers found an assortment of drugs and drug paraphernalia on Turner at the time of his arrest.
“We found ICE, pure ICE and meth, as well as paraphernalia, including a set of scales,” Lambert said.
Turner, who was also charged with violation of probation, was transported to the Escambia County Detention Center and is being held without bond.
Another Brewton man – this one wanted on two counts of attempted murder after fleeing from police last Sunday– was apprehended Friday in Pensacola, Fla.
Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said Walter L. Hodges, 43, was taken into custody at a Pensacola, Fla., soup kitchen just before lunch Friday.
Hodges was wanted after he allegedly repeatedly rammed a car occupied by his ex-wife and her cousin Sunday.
Lambert said the Evergreen resident and her cousin from Montgomery were traveling north on Ala. Hwy. 31 when they met Hodges traveling southbound.
“The ex-wife said he had made previous threats of doing her bodily harm,” Lambert said. “Victim and witness statements say that when Hodges met them, he turned around and gave chase, ran them off the road and rammed the car twice on the driver’s side before fleeing.”
Previously, Lambert said investigators determined that Hodges’ acted deliberately when he struck the car.
The two females suffered non-life threatening injuries, and the driver was transported to D.W. McMillan Hospital for treatment.
Lambert said throughout the week Hodges continued to make threats toward his ex-wife.
“We received several complaints that he made many credible threats against the victim,” Lambert said of Hodges. “We received information that he was visiting the Pensacola soup kitchen and were able to get assistance from the Escambia County, Fla., fugitive task force.”
Lambert said Hodges was also wanted for a failure to appear warrant from Escambia County, Fla.
As of Tuesday, Hodges remains in the Escambia County, Fla., Jail.