A man wanted in Florida for domestic battery was arrested in Florala Wednesday.

Eric Dwayne Russell, 25, of DeFuniak Springs, was suspected in the felony battery of his sister. He fled the scene after the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) was called.

WCSO deputies and the Walton County Correctional Institution canine team immediately began a pursuit to apprehend Russell. During the pursuit, the WCSO received a report regarding a golf cart that was stolen from a residence on State Line Rd. Deputies recovered the abandoned golf cart less than a mile from where it was stolen.

The investigation led investigators to Florala, where Russell was arrested by the Florala Police Department and transported to the Covington County Jail. He was charged with domestic battery by strangulation and grand theft, both third-degree felonies. At the time of his arrest, Russell was wearing shoes with a tread design similar to those found at both crime scenes.

The investigation revealed that Russell’s mother, Nancy Russell, knowingly transported a criminal suspect to a residence in Florala. She was arrested by the WCSO at her residence and charged with obstruction of justice, a first-degree misdemeanor.