Three men wanted on murder charges in South Carolina were arrested Tuesday in Gwinnett County.
Before their out-of-state arrest warrants could be executed, one of the men was able to bond out of the Gwinnett jail after he was booked on a misdemeanor obstruction charge. He was released Thursday afternoon and then re-arrested by Atlanta police just a few hours later.
Two of the men, 26-year-old Devante White and 22-year-old Malike White, remain in the Gwinnett jail awaiting extradition to Beaufort County, South Carolina. There, they face charges of murder, kidnapping and armed robbery, as well as additional felony charges out of Hardeeville, South Carolina. Both men also face one count each of giving a false name to a police officer in Gwinnett.
The third man, Jamal Coakley Jr., was initially arrested along with the Whites and charged with misdemeanor obstruction of law enforcement officers, jail records show. However, the more serious warrants out of South Carolina had not yet appeared in the National Crime Information Center, so Gwinnett jail officials could not legally continue to hold Coakley on his single misdemeanor charge. He was able to post bond and was released.
Gwinnett police alerted the APD to Coakley’s whereabouts and Atlanta police arrested him again. Coakley remains at the Fulton County Jail, where he is being held as a fugitive from justice.
The three men are wanted on charges related to the shooting death of 45-year-old Timothy Miliken in Bluffton, South Carolina, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. In a statement, that agency said deputies responded to a report of shots fired about 11:15 p.m. Monday. Deputies found Miliken at the scene, dead from apparent gunshot wounds, the agency said.
Investigators were able to determine that the suspects were driving a black Nissan Altima, then tracked the men to a home in Gwinnett, the agency said. Gwinnett police were able to locate the home and car. As Gwinnett police approached the house, the three men ran but were quickly caught and arrested.
Coakley and Devante White also face one charge each of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
In its statement, the BCSO thanked Gwinnett police for their assistance in arresting the three wanted men.
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