Joint effort tracks down national fugitive in Lowndes County
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Sherman Dewayne McCoy of Gordo, Alabama who is wanted in connection with child sex crimes in North Carolina, was found in Columbus, Mississippi. This is not his first time to see the inside of the Lowndes County Detention Center.
Records show McCoy has been booked into this very jail eight times for eight different felony charges and 15 misdemeanor charges.
Now, the Fayetteville Police Department in North Carolina wants him in their custody for a number of heinous crimes: First-degree forcible rape, first-degree statutory sex offense, sexual act by a substitute parent or custodian, and indecent liberties with a child.
Fayetteville police received a tip about where McCoy was hiding out and reached out to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.
A sheriff’s deputy assigned to the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force tracked down the suspect at an apartment complex in east Columbus.
“Now that’s an asset for us to have right here in Lowndes County. These agents that work for the task force are able to go out and apprehend fugitives who are on the run and may leave our jurisdiction,” said Sheriff Eddie Hawkins.
When a search warrant was executed at the home where McCoy was staying, deputies also reportedly found pot and an automatic rifle, compounding his troubles.
“He is a convicted felon so now he faces charges of felony possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon right here in Lowndes County,” said Hawkins.
“This deputy was able to track this suspect down here in Columbus and get him apprehended for another jurisdiction. And that’s what partnerships and cooperation is all about. Us working together to get these bad guys off the street,” said Hawkins. “So when another agency calls and says we have a warrant for this guy, and we heard he was in Lowndes County, we’re going to do our part and our due diligence. If you do come here to Lowndes County, we are going to track you down and we are going to affect the arrest and bring you to justice.”
After McCoy faces his Lowndes County charges, he will be extradited to North Carolina.
