The Walker County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman who allegedly gave investigators bad information about a shooter last week.
A man led a deputy on a police chase through a neighborhood off James Street in Rossville last week, which ended in a shoot-out on a construction site in the woods. After the man ran away, Sheriff Steve Wilson said, investigators contacted the listed owner of the car that the man drove, 32-year-old Madison Michelle Conrad.
Madison ConradWilson previously reported that Conrad identified two men who were in the car during the chase. She allegedly said that John A. Ross III was the passenger, who exited the car during a quick stop about a block after the chase started. She also allegedly identified Robert Dean Root as the driver - the man who fired shots.
A couple of hours later, Wilson realized that Root was not the shooter. He had pleaded guilty to a drug arrest in the county in September and was serving time at Lee State Prison. A prison officer found Root right where they expected: still behind bars.
Wilson said that Conrad came clean when confronted a second time. She identified Robert Eric Owenby, 45, whom the sheriff's office arrested on Wednesday. He faces two counts of aggravated assault on peace officers.
The sheriff's office arrested Conrad on Wednesday, charging her with making false statements and hindering the apprehension of a criminal.
The sheriff's office has also identified the passenger in Owenby's car on the day of the shooting, according to the release. Investigators interviewed him and decided he did not intend to commit a crime the day of the chase and shooting.