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Airmen act quickly to help security forces nab suspect

  • Published
  • By Holly L. Birchfield
  • 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
When a Newton, Ga. man's run from police came to a crash near Robins March 9, he sought refuge on base - but what he found was something altogether different.

What 34-year-old Mark Anthony Hudson found were charges of speeding, felonious attempt to elude police officers, reckless driving, and DUI (driving under the influence).

Mr. Hudson is also being held for Dougherty County Sheriff's Office on an outstanding violation of a probation warrant.

According to a Bibb County Sheriff's Office report, as Bibb County Sheriff's Office deputy Mike Carr pursued Mr. Hudson for a routine traffic stop shortly after 9 p.m., the man fled on Ga. Highway 247.

Traveling southbound, the driver lost control of his truck and crashed. He then abandoned the vehicle near Watson Boulevard and jumped Robins' fence to escape authorities.

Tech. Sgt. David Croushore, 78th Communications Squadron secure communications noncommissioned officer in charge, and Airman 1st Class Justin Jeanpierre, a 78th CS ground radio maintainer, were manning the unit control center for their squadron when they saw someone matching the suspect's description.

"We were listening to radio traffic, and looking between Building 214 and Building 210, just watching the cops drive around and do their security sweeps," he said. "Shortly after everyone had gone by, the individual walked past our building."

Airman Jeanpierre said he knew he had to act fast.

"We heard about it going on between our two buildings, so we turned off the lights and opened the blinds so we could see outside," he said. "We could see the Houston County police and our on-base security forces going around."

Airman Jeanpierre said the excitement of the situation picked up when the suspect walked past his window.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "The guy was walking like nothing was happening, with his hands in his pockets."

When the young Airman couldn't reach police on the radio, he tried to signal the police by flickering his office's lights, but his signal went unnoticed.

Sergeant Croushore said after the two watched the individual hide from police cars and then climb inside a parked vehicle, they contacted base police with their cell phones.

Airman Jeanpierre said the incident taught him to remain alert and take action.

"Don't waste time," he said. "Be quick about these things. I knew that he was on the move, and I needed to get the information across quickly."

Maj. James Seward, 78th SFS commander, said thanks to the vigilance of the two Airmen and the quick response of 78th Security Forces' officers, the man was apprehended.

"Due to the alertness of our communications folks, it really sped up the process," he said. "We probably would've found the suspect anyway, but they really sped things up by listening to the radio and reporting what they observed. When they saw something, they took the initiative to call and say, 'Hey, this is what we got.' They took fast actions and that really cut down on our search time."

Lt. Col. Tim Hartje, 78th CS commander, said he's proud of his Airmen's actions.

"This is an excellent example of vigilant Airmen reacting swiftly to squelch a potentially serious situation without incident."

The incident illustrated what Capt. David Davis, with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, referred to as a relationship with open communication among all law enforcement in the local area.

"Any time you have a situation like this, it's a cooperative effort among all law enforcement," he said. "Just like we have a relationship with the Houston County Sheriff Office and Warner Robins Police, we also have a relationship with the base security. When something like this goes on, the word gets out to any agency that may be affected by it."

Base security officers held the suspect until local authorities could take custody of the man.