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Boykins Town Sgt. George Brozzo and Southampton County Sheriff’s Office deputies captured a man July 24 who was wanted on felony charges out of North Carolina.

“I basically tried to make a traffic stop on a vehicle for a speeding infraction, and as soon as the vehicle stopped, the passenger bailed out and ran into the woods out here in Boykins onto Pinecrest Drive,” Brozzo said, affirming there were originally two occupants of the vehicle — its driver and a passenger. “Through the course of the investigation, talking with the driver, I was able to determine that (the passenger) was wanted out of Murfreesboro for some gun charges.”

The Murfreesboro Police Department in North Carolina reported on its Facebook page in a June 23 post that warrants on file for the arrest of Duane Boone, of Pendleton, N.C., included those for possession of a firearm by a felon and resist, delay and obstruct. 

As Brozzo sought to apprehend Boone on the afternoon of July 24, he gained assistance from the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office.

“They sent out some deputies, and they sent their K-9 guys out, and we set up a perimeter to contain (the suspect) because we did not see him come back out to the roadway at any point in time,” Brozzo said. “So, we sent the dogs. Ron Colby, his dog, Dante, tracked, and he had a backup officer following, and when they got close to a field, the dog spotted (Boone) and initially gave chase, but they called him off because the gentleman surrendered without incident.”

In a post on the Boykins Police Department Facebook page, Brozzo offered special thanks to K-9 Deputy Dante, his handler, Rob Colby Jr., and the backup, Deputy Hank Fuller, for locating the suspect.

“Thanks to all deputies involved, we took him into custody without incident on some serious felony charges out of N.C.,” Brozzo wrote. “I owe you some treats, Dante!”

Brozzo also offered special thanks to Jud Robinson for stopping and checking on him until deputies arrived, even looking for the suspect as well.

The search for the suspect took a couple of hours, Brozzo stated.

In a July 24 update on the Murfreesboro Police Department’s Facebook page, department Chief David Griffith said Boone was incarcerated in the Southampton County Jail and would have a court appearance in the next couple days.

“Because he was wanted out of North Carolina, we had to do what’s called a fugitive warrant, which is basically an extradition hearing, and he’ll be in custody at least ‘til tomorrow morning when he either waives or is granted extradition,” Brozzo said July 26, noting the hearing would take place at Southampton County General District Court.

The Virginia Judiciary Online Case Information System noted that Boone was scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. on July 27.

Griffith indicated the extradition hearing will help Murfreesboro police bring the suspect back to Hertford County to face the charges against him in Murfreesboro.

On Facebook, the June 23 Murfreesboro police report of an incident with Boone was similar to Brozzo’s report of the July 24 incident.

“This morning while working a specialized traffic detail targeting speeding on North Wynn Street, Sgt. Bryan Johnson observed a black Kia heading north on Wynn Street at a high rate of speed,” the June 23 post on the Murfreesboro Police Department’s Facebook page reads. “Sgt. Johnson initiated a traffic stop. Duane Boone, from Horne Road in Pendleton, fled the traffic stop from the passenger side and was seen running from the vehicle towards the woods with an AR-style pistol. Mr. Boone’s weapon and other personal belongings were recovered as he fled law enforcement and was recovered by our agency.”

Boone was considered to be armed and dangerous.

“(Murfreesboro police) were elated that we got him in custody,” Brozzo said July 26.