Fugitive felon captured after domestic disturbance
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
For the past three-plus years, Atmore has been a magnet for individuals on the run from authorities in other states. A North Carolina fugitive murder suspect was shot to death by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents during a standoff here last May, and outlaws from five different states have also been captured here since 2017.
The latest fugitive apprehension came March 29, when city police discovered that an Atmore man involved in a domestic incident was wanted on felony warrants from Missouri.
City police arrested Johnny Wayne White, 39, who lists a 5th Avenue, Atmore, address as his residence, and charged him with being a fugitive from justice. The arrest came after police responded to a domestic disturbance at the Green Acres Road home of White’s parents.
“When our officers arrived, they saw Johnny Wayne White walking away from the residence,” said Police Chief Chuck Brooks. “He told them he had been involved in an argument with his parents and was leaving.”
White’s parents confirmed that an argument had taken place, saying they called police after their son “began yelling and acting in a threatening manner, banging on their door.”
When police ran a check on White, they discovered that he was wanted in Franklin County, Mo. on charges of first-degree burglary and felony restraint.
White was taken to Atmore City Jail, where he was held until he was transferred to the Escambia County Detention Center. Missouri authorities reportedly arrived in Atmore last weekend and took him back to face charges there.
The other fugitives whose freedom ended with their capture here included one each from Texas, Michigan, New York and Massachusetts. Brooks said most, if not all, the criminal runaways have come here because they had long-standing relationships with people who live in the area.
“There’s no real answer to why they come here,” he said of criminal suspects on the lam. “Most of them have family or other resources here, so they come here.”