Florida double-homicide suspect captured in Troy
Published 10:59 am Tuesday, July 22, 2014
A man wanted in connection with three murders in Florida, who also has ties to Florala, was captured early Tuesday morning in Troy.
Derrick Ray Thompson, 41, was arrested at a residence on County Road 1165, known as the Good Hope Road, shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.
“We received a call from the officials in Florida that he might be here,” said Lt. Bryan Weed of the Troy Police Department. “Our tactical team and the tactical team from the Pike County Sheriff’s Department set up outside the residence overnight and took him into custody this morning when he attempted to leave the residence.”
No one was injured in the incident, although Thompson did have several firearms in his possession at the time.
Thompson was taken into custody and was being interviewed by representatives of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department, Florida State Police and the Bay County Sheriff’s Department. Weed said he expected Thompson to be transferred to the Pike County Jail later today.
Florida officials named Thompson as a person of interested in the Sunday shooting deaths of Steven Tyrone Zackowski, 60, and Debra Lynn Zackowski, 59, of Milton. Thompson also is wanted on burglary and grand theft and fraud charges,.
Thompson also has been named in the fatal shooting of Bay County (Florida) strip club owner and former deputy Allen Johnson, whose body was discovered at his home Monday afternoon. Deputies investigating Johnson’s death found a truck believed driven by Thompson in the driveway of Johnson’s home.
Weed said Thompson previously had done some work for the owner of the Troy property and had been hunting on the land. “We got a call from the owner that he suspected Thompson could try to come here,” Weed said. “The owner is not in town and no one was at the cabin where Thompson was hiding.”