Dalton PotterFollowing a three-day search after a Whitfield County sheriff's deputy was shot, a fugitive from Texas was caught and arrested late Wednesday night.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed Dalton Potter, 29, was arrested in Resaca after hundreds of law enforcement officers from surrounding counties and jurisdictions pitched in to help.
Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood told reporters Wednesday that Potter also shot an unidentified civilian while he was hiding and running from law enforcement.
According to the GBI, authorities were alerted to an area in north Gordon County of a home invasion. Potter had snuck up on a home in the area and ended up in a shootout with the homeowner
The homeowner was shot multiple times and taken to Erlanger in Chattanooga where he is in stable condition and expected to recover. Potter fled the scene of the home invasion without a vehicle and retreated back into the wooded area.
Potter was shot in the head by the homeowner but the bullet only grazed his head, leaving a "superficial wound," the GBI reported.
On Monday, Potter was driving a truck pulling a stolen trailer when deputies from the Whitfield County sheriff's office pulled him over, authorities said. Potter fired several shots at Deputy Darrell Hackney from inside his vehicle during the traffic stop, according to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation news release.
Hackney was not seriously injured thanks to his ballistic vest. Chitwood said Hackney had some bruising and a burning sensation but was treated and released Monday night and is in good shape.
Hackney and Deputy Adrian Gomez returned fire, but Potter was able to speed off, investigators said. The suspect crashed his truck and escaped into the woods. The trailer was recovered near the Whitfield- Gordon county line, the GBI said.
The GBI later said explosives were found in the trailer that will be destroyed by the bureau's bomb disposal unit.
Jonathan Hosmer, 47, was arrested about 5 a.m. Tuesday at a location given to law enforcement by an anonymous tipster. Chitwood said the suspect was checked for dehydration and taken to the Whitfield County Jail. Hosmer was one of two fugitives involved in the shooting.
Hosmer is charged with felony theft by bringing stolen property into the state, possession of meth, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In addition to the five counts of aggravated assault Potter was originally charged with in Whitfield County, he now also faces the following charges: in Whitfield County: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during a commission of a felony, felony obstruction, theft by receiving, possession of an explosive by a convicted felon; in Gordon County: three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of aggravated battery, two counts of burglary, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and felony obstruction.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.