Foot Chase in Avalon Ends in Arrest of Wanted Fugitive

A man, said to be wanted by Franklin County authorities, is sitting in the Stephens County jail after a foot chase that resulted in a shooting.

It all happened in the Avalon area Tuesday morning.

According to what Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley told Access North Georgia, the unidentified fugitive was running from a DNR ranger at Yonah Dam.

On his Facebook page, Shirley said his deputies called for bloodhounds and the foot chase ensued from Yonah Dam down to the Avalon Community.

He said as Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies closed in on the suspect, he allegedly broke into a shop and then ran onto property in the Avalon community where a woman was working in her yard.

The woman told authorities later that she felt threatened as the man approached her so she took out her handgun and fired.   She did not hit the suspect, but the gunshot caused him to turn and run.

Shirley said bloodhounds eventually tracked the suspect down and he was arrested.

The man, whose name has not yet been released, is a convicted felon according to Shirley and now faces more serious felony charges in Stephens County.

It is not yet clear what had happened at Yonah Dam that caused the suspect to flee from DNR authorities.

Meantime, Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas tells WLHR News he is not aware of any convicted felon currently wanted by his office.

Shirley says the suspect remains in the Stephens County jail and faces a number of felony charges.