On July 30, Russell E. Hewitt was charged with bringing stolen property into the state and was a fugitive from justice.

In the early morning hours of July 30, 2019, Opp police officers, Sgt. Vernon Cowart and Dominique Sasser responded to a call on Opine Road in reference to a domestic dispute.

When officers arrived on scene, they observed a white female identified as Brittany Moy’ Ware arguing with a white male in a truck. The subject in the truck identified himself as “Jason White.”

During the initial investigation, officers observed what appeared to be a smoking device and/or drug paraphernalia in the seat of the truck. When officers observed the smoking device, the male subject then accelerated the truck leaving Brittany Moy ‘Ware beside the road and a vehicle pursuit was initiated.

During the pursuit, the truck lost control and subsequently wrecked. The male subject fled the scene on foot and avoided apprehension. Further investigation revealed that the suspect provided a fictitious name to Opp Police Officers, and the suspect was subsequently identified as Edward Russell Hewitt.

The truck that Hewitt was driving was recovered by the Opp Police Department and is described as a 2018 GMC truck, black in color. Investigation by Sgt. Josh Hudson with the Opp Police Department revealed that the truck was a 2018 GMC Sierra, stolen from Tampa, Fla.

The investigation was turned over to the Covington County Sheriff’s Department due to location of the occurrence.

Investigators with the Covington County Sheriff’s Office went to Gantt Lake RV Park and spoke with management concerning any new arrivals in the campground. The manager stated that there was a new arrival by the name of “Jason White,” the same fictitious name given to law enforcement by Edward Russell Hewitt. Investigators located the confirmed that the camper was stolen out of Florida.

A search warrant was requested and served on the trailer. When Covington County Investigators executed the search warrant, Hewitt was discovered inside the camper and subsequently taken into custody for the outstanding Florida warrants.

Hewitt committed the offenses of Bringing Stolen Property into the State and was a Fugitive from Justice and is being held in the Covington County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

“The Opp Police Department along with the Covington County Sheriff’s Department worked together to ensure that this criminal is where he belongs, behind bars,” Covington County Sheriff Blake Turman said. “I commend their cooperation and their fastidious actions. It is amazing what we can accomplish when we work together.”