Foot chase ends in arrest of Rusk man

A foot chase Friday morning ended in the arrest of a 37-year-old Rusk man, who bolted from his residence as police attempted to serve a warrant.

William Gregory Martinez was being booked into the Cherokee County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to jail personnnel.

The incident took place just before lunch, about 11:30 a.m., said Rusk Police Chief Stephen Hughes, who said police were attempting to serve a felony warrant on a suspect at a Boone Street residence.

"Information was received that the suspect had been tipped off (about) police presence and just as they arrived, (he) had run out the back door of his residence into a heavily wooded area," Hughes said.

Officers from Rusk and Alto police departments, along with those from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department, were called to the scene to secure a perimeter, with the K-9 unit of Rambo and Officer Michael Torres of the Jacksonville Police Department providing assistance.

"Due to the nature of the offense, the suspect’s history, and the close proximity of two schools, the Rusk Primary and Intermediate schools were notified and placed on lockdown for about 30-45 minutes," the chief said.

The K-9 unit was deployed into the wooded area, with the suspect immediately surrendering without assistance, he said.