Man jumps off roof to avoid arrest, captured in Gwinnett after search
A convicted child molester jumped off his roof Wednesday night to avoid arrest and led Gwinnett County sheriff’s deputies on a 5-hour search before he was captured, authorities said Thursday.
About 7 p.m., deputies went to a home in the 3700 block of September Way near Snellville to serve a Fulton County warrant on 30-year-old Quan Anthony Thomas, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shannon Volkodav said. Thomas failed to register as a sex offender, authorities said.
“When deputies arrived at the residence,” Volkodav said, “Thomas fled to the attic, eventually escaping through the attic vent onto the roof, where he jumped off and disappeared into a wooded area.”
After an extensive search that included multiple agencies and a helicopter, a sheriff’s K9 located Thomas, who was hiding in a residential garage after kicking in the door to gain entry.
Thomas was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Gwinnett County Jail, where he was being held Thursday without bond on multiple charges that included four counts of obstruction and burglary.
According to online Georgia Department of Corrections records, Thomas was convicted of statutory rape in Cobb County and sentenced to 20 years in prison in March 2007. He was released from the Calhoun State Prison in March 2013.
About the Author
Rodney Thrash is the morning breaking news coach for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has been with the paper since November 2013.
