Precautionary lockdown at a Perry school ends with suspect's arrest
PERRY -- A man whose flight from authorities led to a precautionary lockdown of an elementary school was taken into custody after a manhunt.
A police dog chased him down.
Rodney Grim, 50, of Perry, is accused of fleeing into a wooded area off the 400 block of Satterfield Road about 1:30 p.m. when sheriff's deputies attempted to arrest him on outstanding warrants for probation violation and theft by receiving, said Houston County sheriff's Capt. Jon Holland. The probation violation is a felony charge.
Another man who was with Grim also fled but was captured in the backyard of a Satterfield Road residence. Elijah Singleton, 31, of Perry, also was wanted on an outstanding warrant. The charge was misdemeanor theft by receiving, Holland said.
Grim's flight into the woods resulted in the lockdown of Tucker Elementary School about a mile away and a large manhunt by authorities.
In addition to deputies, also dispatched were Perry police, U.S. marshals and the sheriff's response team, a tactical unit. A Georgia State Patrol helicopter also was used in the search.
At one point in the chase, a sheriff's deputy used a stun gun on Grim but tripped in the dense woods in an attempt to handcuff him. The deputy injured his arm in the fall, and Grim got up and ran, Holland said.
A sheriff's tracking dog was brought in and was credited with Grim's capture. Grim was expected to be taken to the Houston County jail after being checked out at a local hospital for a dog bite, Holland said.
Neither Grim nor Singleton was armed, Holland said.
The school was placed on lockdown as a precaution per the direction of Perry police, said Beth McLaughlin, spokeswoman for Houston County schools. The school resumed normal operations afterward.
To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559, or find her on Twitter@becpurser.
This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Precautionary lockdown at a Perry school ends with suspect's arrest ."