SANTA ROSA COUNTY

SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Sheriff Wendell Hall

Escaped Georgia Prisoner Captured in Santa Rosa County

At Approximately 0900 hours on 3/20/08 Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office Dispatch received a call from a citizen regarding a black “female” hitchhiking on Highway 90 near Timber Crest Road . This is the area in which a major search was conducted the prior night for an escaped prisoner from Georgia . Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County Sheriff's Deputies responded to the scene and located Eugene Smith attempting to find a ride out of the area. Smith was taken into custody without incident. Smith still had pepper spray in his possession. Smith was transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail where he will be booked and turned over to the custody of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. Booking photos of Smith are attached to this email.

ORIGINAL RELEASE

A major search has been taking place in Santa Rosa County this afternoon after a prisoner overpowered a Crisp County Georgia Sheriff's Deputy and stole the police vehicle. Shortly after 3pm , Santa Rosa Sheriff's Deputies were contacted by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office about the incident. The incident began when a Crisp County Sheriff's Deputy was transporting a wanted prisoner back to Georgia from Houston , Texas . When the Crisp County Deputy stopped at the I-10 Holt Exit in Okaloosa County , the prisoner was able to take the deputies pepper spray and spray the deputy. The prisoner then jumped into the front seat of the police car and fled the scene. The deputy was able to fire a shot from his service weapon, striking the windshield of the police car. The suspect was identified as Eugene Smith, B/M, 33 years old, and was in leg shackles at the time of the incident. The suspect has feminine features and could be mistaken for a female. The police vehicle fled into the direction of Santa Rosa County on Highway 90.

At approximately 5 pm , law enforcement officers discovered the abandoned police car, wrecked in a wooded area off of Leonard Barnes Road in the Floridale area of Santa Rosa County . Law enforcement is currently searching a large wooded area with helicopters and K-9 in an attempt to locate the individual. Numerous agencies are on scene, to include the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, Walton County Sheriff's Office, Escambia County Sheriff's Office, Florida Highway Patrol, DOT State Law Enforcement, U.S. Marshal's Service, Crestview Police Department, Florida Wildlife Commission, Department of Corrections, and a top ranking officer from the Crisp County Sheriff's Office in Georgia. The search will continue until the suspect is located. It is possible that the suspect is no longer in leg shackles due to having access to a handcuff key in the patrol vehicle. No other information is known at this time.

Press Release By:

Sgt. Scott Haines

Media Relations Unit

(850) 981-2136 or shaines@srso.net