Law enforcement authorities in South Dakota ended a week-long manhunt on Monday with the arrest of a man and a woman linked to multiple shootings in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia that left at least three people dead and two others injured.
Indiana State Police said in a press release that authorities in South Dakota arrested Timothy Sargent, 42, and Savannah Emich, 20, after a brief chase on Monday near Sioux Falls.
Manhunt Launched for Sargent After Shootings in Akron
Police have been looking for Sargent since August 17 when he allegedly shot a 29-year-old multiple times at a homeless camp in Akron, Ohio. The victim was later transported to a nearby hospital but is expected to survive, according to police and court records.
Sargent is also accused of shooting and killing 22-year-old Rebecca Tomlinson, who was found dead near railroad tracks in Akron the following day.
Sargent then drove to West Virginia where he and Emich, both from Ohio, were listed as suspects in the Aug. 19 fatal shooting of 62-year-old man identified as David Wesley Martin in Milton. Martin died of a gunshot wound before crashing his vehicle on the U.S. 60.
Family of 3 Shot near O'Bannon Wood State Park
Later that night, the pair drove to Indiana and allegedly shot at three family members in a car near O'Bannon Woods State Park. The family was going back home after a hike when Sargent flashed his high beams at their vehicle, prompting them pull to the side of the road to let Sargent's vehicle pass. Sargent pulled up alongside their vehicle and opened fire.
The man and his wife were both struck by gunfire while a 16-year-old girl in the backseat was not shot, but she was injured when the family's car crashed after the shooting. The father was flown to a hospital in Louisville with life-threatening injuries.
After the shooting, troopers said Sargent and Emich stopped in a cornfield and ditched the vehicle they were in and stole a pickup from a nearby home.
"The task force here in Ohio worked around the clock with its local partners and law enforcement across the country to locate and apprehend this pair of violent individuals," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said.
