‘Armed, dangerous’ Sumter kidnapping suspect captured Tuesday

Sumter County deputies have arrested a man accused of kidnapping and robbing a 57-year-old woman at gunpoint early Tuesday morning.

Demetric Jerod Nelson, 27, has a history of violent offense convictions and was placed on the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Most Wanted list, according to department spokesman Braden Bunch.

Nelson was located and taken into custody about 1 p.m. Tuesday, Bunch said. He will be charged with kidnapping, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a violent crime.

Nelson is accused of entering the woman’s home, which is in the 1800 block of River Birch Drive, and demanding money from her, Bunch said. He is also accused of ordering the woman to drive him to an address on Manning Avenue.

Once at the Manning Avenue address, Nelson allegedly forced the victim at gunpoint to get in the trunk of her car, Bunch said. However, Nelson was unable to drive a car with a manual transmission.

After waiting for a while, the victim triggered the emergency latch from inside the trunk, Nelson said. She noticed a Sumter Police Department patrol car and flagged the officer down.

K-9 units attempted to track Nelson, but were unsuccessful, Bunch said. Nelson was to be considered armed and dangerous.

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 10:07 AM with the headline "‘Armed, dangerous’ Sumter kidnapping suspect captured Tuesday."