9:00 A.M. THURSDAY UPDATE:
The man who ran into Lake Lanier in an effort to avoid capture by Hall County sheriff’s deputies earlier this week has been identified.
Nathan Terry Couch, 42, of Gainesville, was wanted in Habersham County for one felony count of criminal
damage to property in the second degree from a previous incident. He also faces a probation violation charge.
Habersham County Sheriff and EMS spokesman Rob Moore says Couch was treated Tuesday at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville for injuries related to the foot pursuit in Hall County, then booked in at the Habersham County Detention Center in Clarkesville. As of mid-morning Thursday, he was still in jail in lieu of $5,600 bond.
EARLIER STORY. POSTED WEDNESDAY:
A man wanted in Habersham County was arrested after he ran into Lake Lanier in an attempt to escape capture, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
HCSO NARRATIVE:
“Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) patrol and Warrant Service Unit deputies apprehended a man wanted in Habersham County on Tuesday afternoon…
At approximately 4 p.m., a deputy, who was working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to locate the subject, spotted and followed his (suspect’s) car on Jesse Jewell Parkway at Crescent Drive. The suspect then pulled onto the shoulder of the road and began passing vehicles on the right. The deputy activated his patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and sirens to attempt a traffic stop. The suspect kept driving, turning right on White Sulphur Road and then left on Huntington Drive, where the deputy stopped pursuing. The suspect driver then turned right on Limestone Parkway.
A few minutes later, deputies found the suspect car on Cleveland Highway at the Longstreet Bridge. The suspect ran from his car on foot and into Lake Lanier. Deputies took him into custody without incident.
HCSO has no local charges on the suspect currently.”