News Update – 11/22/2023 at 12:45 PM:
According to U.S. Marshal David Jolley, authorities believe Sean Williams may have been in Greeneville since escaping authorities on October 18th.
According to Jolley, the U.S. Marshal’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Knoxville, Law Inforcement in Greeneville, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation all worked together during this investigation. They are still piecing together Williams’s movements but believe he was staying in an abandoned house in Greeneville, close to where he first escaped near West Summer Street. It’s possible Williams was moving from one abandoned house to another in the area since October.
A stolen vehicle that was reported missing on Friday, November 17th on Davis Street, was located in Florida early this week and Jolley did confirm it was stolen by Williams. On Friday, Williams was spotted around 11 AM in a shopping center in Sylva, North Carolina. After entering a store, the employees recognized him and alerted authorities. Jolley said video footage that was provided showed the stolen vehicle and a license plate number was taken. He said that is what lead authorities to the vehicle in Clearwater, Pinellas County in Florida.
According to Jolley, a Patrol Officer in Florida saw the vehicle and attempted to pull Williams over but he got out the vehicle he stole and fled on foot. Law enforcement agencies in Florida were searching for Williams all day. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reportedly got a call from a clerk at a 711 in Largo, Florida, which was close to where the stolen vehicle was abandoned, and said they saw Williams enter the store. According to U.S. Marshal David Jolley, authorities arrived and Williams had fled the store. A K-9 was released to track him down and Williams was found hiding under a tarp and was finally arrested.
There is no official date as to when Williams will be transported back to Greene County. Jolley says it depends on his hearing in Florida.
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More information has been provided on escaped fugitive Sean Williams, who was caught and arrested in Pinellas County, Florida Tuesday.
Radio Greeneville News spoke with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Knoxville who said Williams is having a court hearing today in Florida. The former Johnson City businessman was tracked down near a convenience store by a K-9 and his partner. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s report, Williams was found after a suspicious person was reported on 11505 Walsingham Road. He was arrested after 9 PM and was then taken into custody.
Williams was first spotted last Friday around 11 AM in a shopping center in Sylva, North Carolina, according to Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Everyone was warned to be on the look out as he was reportedly familiar with the area. Several agencies responded but were not able to locate him.
Radio Greeneville is still waiting to hear back from the US Marshal’s Service for additional details on his whereabouts prior to his arrest in Florida and details in the connection between him and a stolen vehicle from Greeneville last week. The vehicle that was stolen off Davis Street Thursday night was discovered unoccupied and recovered in Florida by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department early this week.
Williams escaped from custody on West Summer Street October 18, 2023 while being transported from the Laurel County, Kentucky Jail to the Federal Courthouse in Greeneville. He reportedly escaped a van by breaking out a window and has been on the run from authorities since then.
He is a facing charges including rape of a child, especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, aggravated sexual battery of a child under 13, and distribution of Meth. He also now faces a federal escape charge. We’ll have more details as they become available.
