Murder suspect captured in Carrollton by U.S. Marshals
♦ Jimmy Brian Blackmon is accused of killing his wife in their Rockmart home on Oct. 18
A manhunt that spanned three counties in West Georgia and led police on an eight-day search for an accused murderer came to an end Monday.
Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd confirmed that Jimmy Brian Blackmon, who is charged with killing his wife on Oct. 18 at their home in Rockmart, was found in the woods in Carrollton early Monday after being tracked down by agents with the
U.S. Marshals Service.
Blackmon was tracked down to a house belonging to a relative on Horsley Mill Road in rural Carroll County, east of Carrollton.
When authorities approached the house, Blackmon ran out of the back of the house and into the woods. Authorities then found a camping site, complete with a tent and other items.
Deputies with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office deployed a drone equipped with forward-looking infrared over the wooded area, where they picked up Blackmon’s heat signature.
He was found behind a log, Dodd said, covered with brush in an attempt to hide. When he was spotted by the authorities on the scene he gave himself up without a struggle.
Blackmon was unarmed but a firearm was recovered after he was taken into custody. Dodd said they are not certain if it is the murder weapon.
Dodd said that they have yet to delve into how Blackmon was able to elude police and wind up in three different counties over the course of a week.
“We haven’t gotten that deep into the investigation yet. It’s still too early to figure out how he got there,” Dodd said.
Blackmon, 50, was transported to the Polk County Jail, where he arrived around 4 p.m. Monday and was booked in
on felony charges of second-degree murder, third-degree cruelty to children, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. More charges will be forthcoming, the police chief said.
Manhunt
After the shooting at this home in Rockmart, police said, Blackmon initially fled in his truck, which was later found abandoned by Floyd County police at the Walmart in East Rome off of U.S. 411 a few hours later.
Police determined later that he had been picked up by his son and then dropped off on Ga. 101 at Pleasant Valley Road in Floyd County. The son, Corey Brian Blackmon, 21, was arrested and charged with obstructing law enforcement officers after police said he initially lied to them when questioned about his father’s whereabouts.
Floyd County police and the Floyd County Sheriff’s office assisted in the search and the Polk County Police criminal investigation division, K9 division and Rockmart police joined forces to search the area.
Then on Oct. 23, a tip led authorities back to Jimmy Blackmon’s home. He escaped into the woods but a multiagency search of the area failed to capture him. Efforts over the weekend following leads and tips, as well as the investigation by U.S. Marshals, led authorities to the home in Carroll County.