Fugitive Wanted in South Carolina Arrested in Franklin County

For WLHR News, I’m Daniel Brown.  A fugitive wanted in South Carolina is now in custody.  Early this morning, Franklin County Sheriff Deputies arrested Timothy Chad Merck, address unknown.  The search began around 5:00pm on Tuesday, when Franklin County 911 received a call about a suspicious vehicle near the Echo Truck Stop at Exit 166.  When deputies arrived, they found a male passenger with the vehicle.  The passenger reported that the driver, identified as Timothy Chad Merck, had fled the scene.  A quick check determined that Merck had active warrants in Oconee County, South Carolina.  Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas says a manhunt ensued in the area behind the Pilot Truck Stop off of Highways 59 and 106.

Thomas says, “Another deputy saw a white male fitting the description enter into the wooded area behind a Wilco truck stop.  Deputies and K-9 were on the ground in a short period time.  They followed a truck down 59 and back over towards I-85.”

Deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office & K-9 Unit, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Georgia Department of Corrections K-9 Unit were called in on the search.  Around 9:30pm, the K-9 units ended their hunt.  However Thomas says deputies are continued to search the area until 6:30 this morning when Merck was apprehended near the Pilot Truck Stop off of Interstate 85.  Merck is being held at the Franklin County Detention Center awaitng extradition to South Carolina.