A multi-agency search effort led to the arrest of a man accused of using a firearm to threaten a woman and her child following a vehicle collision on Jones Ferry Road in Elbert County on Thursday, March 27.
According to the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to reports of a two-vehicle accident on Jones Ferry Road. Witnesses reported that one driver exited his vehicle and approached the other driver with a firearm.
Upon arrival, deputies found a heavily damaged small car in a roadside ditch, but the driver had already fled the scene. Shortly after, according to police, a passerby reported seeing a black SUV with extensive damage driving down Jones Ferry Road with a wheel turned sideways.
Mother and child found hiding
As deputies searched for the missing driver, evidence led them farther down the road, where they discovered the second vehicle hidden in a clear-cut area. The driver of this vehicle was also missing. K-9 units from Hart County and Wilkes County Sheriff’s Offices and drone operators from Elbert County EMA were deployed to aid in the search. A Georgia State Patrol helicopter also assisted.
During the investigation, authorities later identified Joshua Sewell as a potential suspect and learned he may have been traveling to Elbert County to allegedly harm another individual.
Authorities say a Wilkes County K-9 unit ultimately located the female driver of the black SUV and her one-year-old child hiding in a wooded area. Police determined that Sewell had allegedly intentionally rammed her vehicle off the road, then shattered her driver’s side window with a shotgun while making alleged threats. The victim managed to escape with her child and hid until Sewell fled.
Shirtless suspect seeking help
As the search for Sewell intensified, according to police, dispatchers began receiving reports of a shirtless white male seeking help from residents on Grady Cleveland Road. Authorities say home security footage confirmed the suspect’s identity, as a K-9 unit from Hart County tracked Sewell as he allegedly attempted to flee through multiple roads and across Highway 72.
According to police, the pursuit ended when he was found near a creek, where a homeowner engaged him in conversation, allowing authorities to take him into custody without incident.
Sewell faces multiple charges, including two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, misdemeanor pointing or aiming a gun at another, reckless conduct, obstruction, criminal trespass and hit and run. Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.
