DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden has announced the capture of fugitive Billy Blake.
Blake, age 42 and a resident of Ft Payne, was taken into custody after leading deputies on a brief pursuit in a motor home on County Road 72 near Ider, last Friday night (August 16th); Blake had bailed out of the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot when he was apprehended a short distance from the road by deputies and agents with the Sheriff’s Office Narcotics & Criminal Interdiction Unit.
He’d been on the run after walking away from Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga – he was admitted for treatment after he allegedly swallowed an unknown amount of suspected methamphetamine and slipped into a coma.
He had previously been arrested for breaking into Henagar Junior High School and stealing $3,300 that the Beta Club had saved for a trip in 2017 – and was also charged with breaking into several churches in Jackson County. Blake was caught again after breaking into multiple storage units in Ft Payne.
At the time of his arrest Friday – Blake had existing warrants in DeKalb County for Criminal Mischief 1st Degree, Attempting to Elude, Assault 3rd Degree, Resisting Arrest and Reckless Endangerment. He also had existing warrants in Jackson County for two counts of Attempting to Elude, and Resisting Arrest, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Failure to Register a Vehicle, No Proof of Insurance and Reckless Driving.
Following his arrest Friday, Blake faces new charges of Reckless Endangerment, Possession of Controlled Substance, two counts of Resisting Arrest, two counts of Attempting to Elude, Drug Paraphernalia, Criminal Mischief 1st Degree, Reckless Endangerment, and Assault 3rd Degree.
