Suspect in Dickson deputy’s killing in custody

DICKSON — After a nearly 48-hour manhunt that spanned the state and involved more than a dozen law enforcement agencies, the suspect in this week’s killing of a Middle Tennessee sheriff’s deputy was captured Friday less than 2 miles from where the search began.

Steven Wiggins, covered in mud and wearing torn jeans, surrendered to authorities without a fight on a remote roadside near the edge of woods in Hickman County.

Wiggins was charged with firstdegree murder.

Wiggins is accused of killing 32-year-old Dickson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Daniel Baker, a former military man with a wife and young daughter, after the officer responded to a suspicious vehicle call Wednesday morning near Sam Vineyard and Tidwell Switch roads in Dickson.

Authorities haven’t announced a possible motive in Baker’s killing.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Col. Dereck Stewart said that around 7:15 a.m. Friday, Trooper Kevin Burch was on patrol when he observed a man near the edge of the wood line along Stinson Road. When Burch got out of his patrol vehicle, Stewart said, he noticed that the man fit Wiggins’ overall description, including his tattoos.

Burch quickly ordered Wiggins to the ground on the short, curvy roadway, and the suspect peacefully complied, authorities said.

TENNESSEE HIGHWAY PATROL VIA AP Steven Wiggins is detained by officers on Friday in Hickman County, Tenn. Wiggins, suspected in the fatal shooting of a Tennessee sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop, was arrested after a two-day manhunt.