Officers from multiple agencies are involved in an intense manhunt for an armed, dangerous fugitive in the McCollum, Perkins and Cannafax Rd. area of Lamar County. UPDATE: At 1:30 p.m. Sheriff Brad White reported Owens was still at large. A command post has been set up at the go kart raceway on Highway 36 West. White said Owens’ MO is stealing vehicles to flee. Residents in the area should make sure their cars are locked and any missing vehicles should be reported by calling 911 immediately. UPDATE 2: At 4 p.m. Sheriff White said Owens is still thought to be in the original perimeter but a second perimeter has been established. White also gave more details of attempt to arrest Owens in Woodstock last night. A fugitive apprehension team from the U.S. Marshal’s Service attempted to arrest Billy Lee Owens, 36, in the Wodstock area Tuesday but he stole a van and escaped. Somehow, he later stole a dump truck and was involved with a chase with Lamar deputies early Wednesday on Perkins Rd. and fled the scene on foot. A huge search team is in place which includes K9 units and at least two helicopters. Owens is considered armed and dangerous and is wanted on weapons charges and has warrants for ‘violent’ crimes in Pike, Fayette, Meriwether and Cherokee counties. He is a white male, 6-2, 220 pounds with multiple tattoos. Again, this is a dangerous felon. If you spot him, call 911 immediately. UPDATE 2: When marshals attempted to arrest Owens in Woodstock Tuesday night, he attempted to run over them and struck one officer with the mirror of the vehicle he was in. That officer fired upon the vehicle. At 6:45 a.m. Lamar deputies spotted him in a flat bed truck with a dump body near a small church on Hwy. 36 West. He fled, at one point driving the truck on the railroad tracks westbound. He turned right on McCollum and eventually wrecked where the pavement runs out at McCollum and Perkins. He fled into the woods. Members of the marshal’s tactical team believe Owens is still in the woods where conditions are brutal. Dog teams and searching officers have to be rotated out often to avoid dehydration. After a break, one search helicopter was back in the air just after 4 p.m. A second perimeter at about 5 miles has been established and deputies from surrounding counties, including five units from Rockdale County, are riding the roads along that perimeter. White said homes in the area have been searched and secured. Vehicles found with keys in them were also secured. More to follow…
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