Fugitive sex offender arrested Friday in Waxhaw after fleeing Georgia, officials say
A convicted sex offender from Georgia was arrested Friday in Waxhaw after he’d been on the run for a month, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Last month, the Worth County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia asked law enforcement agencies to look out for 24-year-old Aaron Jones, officials said. A warrant had been issued for Jones’ arrest after he cut off his ankle monitor while on parole and fled the state, the Union County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Law enforcement in Georgia then learned that Jones was likely in the Union County area and asked the local sheriff’s office for help, the release said.
After a month-long investigation, deputies found Jones walking Friday evening in downtown Waxhaw with 32-year-old Janine Wetherbee, officials said. Jones tried to run away after deputies approached him. A nearby resident saw Jones running, grabbed his jacket and briefly slowed him down, the release said.
Jones was taken into custody in connection with the parole violation out of Georgia, the release said.
The sheriff’s office said Wetherbee provided Jones with food, money and clothing while he was hiding in Union County. Wetherbee yelled “Run, baby, run,” to Jones as he fled from deputies, according to the sheriff’s office.
The release did not say how Wetherbee and Jones knew each other, but she was charged with felony harboring a fugitive.
The sheriff’s office also thanked the local resident who helped deputies during Jones’ pursuit.
“If anyone in our community knows this man, please ask him to reach out to the UCSO’s Facebook page via private messenger or give our main office a call at 704-283-3789,” the release said.
