Jan. 9 is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and we’re touting some of the feats of our N.C. Marine Patrol, part of DEQ’s Division of Marine Fisheries.
The Marine Patrol is often asked to assist other law enforcement agencies with different types of searches on water, and in the case below, on land.
On Nov. 10, 2024, Marine Patrol Officer David Wallen received a request for assistance from the Chowan County Sherriff’s Office.
The request came in around 10 p.m., Wallen said. The Sherriff’s Office had a suspect hiding in a densely wooded area near the 500 block of Poplar Neck Road and asked the Marine Patrol to assist in the search with its thermal drone.
The suspect was accused of taking shots at officers during a high-speed chase from Perquimans County and was considered armed and dangerous, Wallen said. Weapons and spent shell casings were found in the ditched vehicle near the tree line.
Once Wallen arrived at the suspect’s vehicle, he quickly deployed the drone and started a grid search of the wooded area just north of Poplar Neck Road and west of Haughton Road. At around 10:35 p.m., Wallen located a strong heat signature with the drone.
Wallen relayed coordinates to the responding officers on the ground and marked the location of the hiding suspect with the drone for visual reference. He then helped guide the officers to the location of the heat signature over the radio where they were able to make a quick arrest and detain the individual.
Later in the night, the Bertie County Sherriff’s Office arrived with its drone to assist. The two agencies split up the remaining area and continued the grid search with drones because they did not know if there had been others in the vehicle.
No other suspects were located, and the Chowan Sherriff’s Office called off the search around 1 a.m.