The subject of a multicounty manhunt that prompted North Georgia residents to lock their doors was taken into custody Friday morning after nearly two days on the run, authorities said.
Dillon Finley, a suspected methamphetamine trafficker who had been wanted since Wednesday, was arrested in a neighborhood off Ga. 136 near the Etowah River in Dawson County, deputies announced about 9:15 a.m. Friday.
On Thursday afternoon, the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office encouraged residents to lock their cars, sheds, homes and other potential hiding places as deputies searched for the 27-year-old Hartwell man.
Lumpkin Sheriff Stacy Jarrard said the search for Finley began Wednesday when authorities in Hart and Franklin counties tried to arrest him.
“They had chased this suspect around with some drug information,” the sheriff said. “He was able to elude them.”
Investigators learned Finley planned to go to Lumpkin County with a 35-year-old Hall County woman and that the two had a large amount of meth, Jarrard said Friday in a video posted to Facebook.
A Georgia State Patrol spokesman said their vehicle was stopped Thursday afternoon and nearly two kilograms of meth was recovered from the car. Finley managed to evade troopers by running into the woods, however, prompting Thursday’s manhunt. The woman with him, identified Friday as Elizabeth Anglin, was taken into custody at the scene.
“The reason we were so alarmed yesterday was that Mr. Finley had made a comment that he did not want to go back to prison,” Jarrard said.
Finley was arrested after a Dawson County resident who was aware of the search spotted him in their neighborhood off Ga. 136 and called police. Authorities said Finley was knocking on someone’s door when he was surrounded by state troopers and deputies and taken into custody.
He faces four charges, including trafficking methamphetamine, possession of a schedule IV drug, possession of a schedule II drug and possession of drug-related objects, according to the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office. Anglin is charged with meth trafficking, possession of Oxycodone, possession of a schedule IV drug and possession of drug-related objects. Both are being held without bond at the Lumpkin County Jail.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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