FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, February 13, 2023

Sheriff’s K9 Apprehends Fugitive Fleeing Deputies

Sheriff Mitch Ralston Reports:

At about 8:45 a.m. this morning (February 13), deputy sheriffs responded to a report of a suspicious person on Shepherd Drive off Red Bud Road near Calhoun. The suspicious man, subsequently identified as one Joshua Turner, age 32, of 227 McConnell Road, Calhoun, fled on foot through a semi-wooded area and reemerged near the football field at Gordon Central High School. After unlawfully entering an automobile belonging to a school staff member, Turner entered a concession stand structure near the field and barricaded himself within. An alert school employee directed the deputies to where Turner had hidden himself, and the deputies attempted to convince him to surrender himself. Turner refused to come outside, so a Sheriff’s K9 was deployed. The K9 swiftly located and effectively apprehended Turner, who still attempted to resist both the dog and the deputies. Turner was rapidly brought under control and lodged in the county jail. At the time he fled from the deputies, Turner was being sought by Calhoun Police for Burglary, Trespassing, and Obstructing Peace Officers. Deputies filed additional charges of Burglary (2nd Degree), Entering an Auto, and Obstructing Peace Officers in connection with this morning’s events. Sheriff Ralston thanked the school staff for working closely with the deputies in swiftly resolving this situation.