HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. — Law enforcement scoured a wooded area off of Highway 78 in Holly Springs Thursday.
“We’re under the impression he ran from us to escape going to jail on the child support warrant,” said Major David Cook with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
WREG was told Blues musician Duwayne Burnside ran from a Marshall County Narcotics Officer during a traffic stop on Highway 78 in Holly Springs.
The officer recognized Burnside as a man wanted for failure to pay child support.
“And once the officer initiated the traffic stop, he fled to Highway 78 going West toward Memphis and then bailed out of the vehicle and ran,” said Cook.
Deputies, a K-9 Officer and members of the Holly Springs Police Department converged on the area.
At one point, the suspect ran towards the Williams Medical Clinic and came face to face with Doctor Gregory Stallworth.
“We looked at each other. He looked at me and I looked at him, for sure. And I made a mental note. I said, ‘I wonder why he’s running?'”he said.
Stallworth was more than a little concerned about the safety of patients and staff at the clinic.
“My thought was, ‘maybe he’ll run to the clinic and try to blend in.’ But he didn’t try to do that at all. He just came from Highway 78 area and ran into the woods and didn’t come this way,” said Stallworth.
Somehow Burnshide managed to crawl through a tunnel under Highway 78 and headed south into a heavily wooded area.
Deputies followed a set of footprints left in a creek bed, but were unable to catch up with him.
Police said they didn’t consider him to be dangerous.
They also said they don’t expect him to elude them for much longer.
“I feel like within 24 hours we’ll have him in custody,” said Cook.
