Wanted machete-wielding man caught in DeKalb County

July 28, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A suspect in a domestic assault in Cannon County was apprehended today (Sunday morning) in DeKalb County. He was reportedly in a stolen pickup truck out of Rutherford County.

Michael Holden Thomas was found with the help from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, said Keith Lowery, Rutherford County Chief Deputy.

According to local reports, Thomas was in a pickup truck approaching DeKalb County on Short Mountain Highway in Cannon County when THP troopers lost sight of him during a pursuit.

Later, Rutherford County officers were able to ping Thomas’ cell phone to a location near the Four Star Loop off Poss Road in DeKalb County.

Local deputies responded to the area and saw the truck Thomas was driving on Four Seasons Road and followed it onto Hendrixson Road and then to Evins Mill Road. Meanwhile a THP helicopter conducting an aerial search spotted the truck as it approached Highway 70 and while officers on the ground put down spike strips to disable it, Thomas drove the truck across the highway from Evins Mill to Midway Road before coming to a stop in a bean field. THP officers then converged on the truck and took Thomas into custody at around 9 a.m. Members of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and Smithville Police Department were also on the scene to offer assistance.

According to a press release from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department, Cannon County Sheriff Darrell Young requested Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office to help search for Thomas Wednesday after the domestic case and after he allegedly broke into a house while carrying a machete.

Deputies located Thomas at about 1 a.m. Sunday at the Handlebar on East Main Street near Murfreesboro, the statement said.

“Thomas was accused of attempting to strike a deputy, as he fled early this morning, and subsequently striking a Rutherford County Sheriff’s vehicle while fleeing the bar,” Lowery said.
Thomas was apprehended in a stolen truck from Goochie Ford Road in Rutherford County, the chief deputy said.

THP’s Aviation helicopter joined the search for Thomas along with Rutherford and Cannon county deputies throughout Saturday night into Sunday morning, the press release said.

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