It began as a roadside assistance call that escalated into a manhunt after two men fled from their vehicle near Cornelia Thursday morning. Now, more than 24 hours later, authorities say they still don’t know why they ran.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office identifies the two men as 23-year-old Adrian McWilliams of Decatur and 30-year-old Mitchell Kendricks of Atlanta.
Both were charged with giving false information to law enforcement and obstruction of an officer. The sheriff’s office says the pair misled authorities about their identities and gave officers the wrong names and birthdates.
McWilliams and Kendricks have prior criminal histories of mostly misdemeanors, says Habersham County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Matthew Wurtz. He says officials still don’t know why they fled.
From roadside assistance call to manhunt
The incident began around 10:55 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, when a Habersham County deputy responded to the area of GA 365 and US 441 to assist a motorist that had broken down on the side of the road. While the deputy was speaking with the occupants of the vehicle, two of them – later identified as McWilliams and Kendricks – ran away on foot.
Based on the deputy’s description of the two and information another occupant in the vehicle gave to law enforcement, officers believed one or both of them were possibly wanted, Wurtz said following the incident.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Cornelia Police Department, Demorest Police Department, Alto Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, and The Governor’s Task Force conducted a search of the area and were able to locate the men. They took them into custody without incident.
McWilliams and Kendricks remain in custody in the Habersham County jail awaiting a bond hearing.
