A Lowndes County supervisor had a hand in a Columbus man’s arrest last week.
James Beasley, 18, of 1407 Jess Lyons Road, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon near Supervisor Harry Sanders’ home.
The situation began when Columbus police received a call about a stolen car found in a trailer park. When officers arrived at the scene, the alleged culprit ran away, onto Sanders’ property, according to Capt. Ryan Rickert with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
Sanders told The Dispatch that he and his son had been working together on his son’s car when they noticed a man walking around their property near Jess Lyons Road. When Sanders yelled at the man to ask what he was doing, the man ran. Sanders followed him in his truck and asked him again what he was doing.
According to Sanders, Beasley said he needed gas for his car, which he claimed was parked at a Shell station about five miles away. Beasley also said he had a child in the car. Sanders thought Beasley was suspicious but offered to drive him to the Shell station. When he saw a sheriff’s deputy on the way to the station, he pulled over.
“I really didn’t do anything super duper,” Sanders said.
“I didn’t know they were chasing him,” he added. “I didn’t know he was a fugitive at the time. I live off the road a good bit and I live right in the middle of 240 acres. There’s no reason for anybody to be walking there anywhere near my house. So you know, it just looks strange.”
Beasley has been charged with possession of stolen property and is currently being held at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Facility.
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