December 20, 2023 – An escapee, wanted by the U.S. Marshals, was apprehended after fleeing an attempted traffic stop and later located with the help of license plate readers and K9 Majlo.
Wednesday morning, around 9:45 a.m., an officer attempted a traffic stop on a motorist driving the wrong way on S. Mt. Juliet Road near I-40, but the motorist fled. The officer did not give chase. Quickly, the emergency communication center staff entered the car’s license plate into Guardian Shield, the department’s license plate reader program, and it began to watch for potential hits.
Moments later, the license plate hit along Beckwith Road, then on Central Pike. Officers intercepted the car, and it fled again. Officers did not give chase. The license plate hit again, leaving Mt. Juliet on S. Mt. Juliet Road and heading towards Stewart’s Ferry Road. An officer checking the area and looking for the fleeing car found a crash scene involving the car, and a witness stated the driver ran away into the nearby woods.
While a containment perimeter was being established around the search area, further investigation identified the driver as 42-year-old Marco Lewis of Nashville, who was wanted by the U.S. Marshals as an escapee in regard to a weapons offense. Lewis was also wanted out of Wilson County from a 2015 warrant related to forgery. A search team consisting of MJPD officers, K9 Majlo, and a Wilson County Sheriff’s Deputy entered the woods to follow the K9 Majlo’s track.
Lewis was located in a creek, where he was not compliant. Eventually, he was apprehended after he attempted to discard different illegal drugs in the water. It is suspected that he also ingested dangerous amounts of drugs, and he was transported to the hospital for care.
Officers located a handgun and additional drugs in the car Lewis was driving. Suspected fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana, and a large amount of cash were recovered. Lewis will face local charges related to evading, resisting arrest, felon in possession of a weapon, and unlawful drug possession for resale.
Source: Mt. Juliet PD
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