He tried to escape, hid in his attic. But deputies still found wanted Midlands man

Law enforcement tried to pull over Midlands man, who turned out to be wanted, Monday, only to see him drive away. Although he eventually crashed his vehicle and ran away on foot, he was ultimately found hiding in his residence.

Demetrius Johnson, 32, was located hiding in his attic by Sumter County Sheriff's deputies.

The Sumter resident was charged with failure to stop for blue lights and siren, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, felon in possession of a firearm in addition to being wanted for an outstanding arrest warrant and wanted by probation, parole and pardon service.

The incident began when sheriff's deputies attempted to pull over the driver of a gold-colored Nissan registered to Johnson. But the driver did not stop, according to the sheriff's department.

The vehicle wrecked a short distance from Johnson’s residence, but was unoccupied when searched by deputies. They reported recovering a firearm and a quantity of suspect crack cocaine.

With assistance from the sheriff’s office K-9’s, the driver was tracked from the Nissan to Johnson’s residence, which was entered after a search warrant was obtained, according to the sheriff's department.

Johnson was then discovered hiding in the attic, before being taken to the Lee Regional Detention Center where his bond was set at $11,000.

This story was originally published March 28, 2018 at 9:39 PM with the headline "He tried to escape, hid in his attic. But deputies still found wanted Midlands man."