Aug. 28--RANDLEMAN -- Authorities described Jamey Lee Ashley as a dangerous and armed fugitive they said shot two deputies.
But when Ashley was arrested Monday evening, he was unarmed and surrendered without incident, said Capt. Derrick Hill with the sheriff's office.
The deputies' names have still not been released. But Hill said both are married with children and are in their mid-30s. One was shot once in his upper left chest and shoulder area, the other was shot twice -- in his right chest and in his right leg, Hill said.
"We're very fortunate that they're expected to make a full recovery," he said. "They're in stable condition. The deputies are doing fine, all things considered."
Ashley, 36, of 5103 Yanceyville Road in Browns Summit, was pulled over at about 2:30 p.m. Monday for a traffic stop at the on-ramp to U.S. 220 from U.S. 311. Two deputies on patrol matched Ashley, his two female passengers and his 2005 Kia Rio with the description of several break-ins that had occurred in the Randleman and Ashbroro area within the last week, Hill said.
The sheriff's office is still investigating what happened, but at some point Ashley shot the two deputies with a .40-caliber gun and fled into the woods. The weapon was later found by a K-9, about 100 yards away from the car in the woods.
Ashley led more than a half-dozen law enforcement agencies on a four-hour manhunt.
Ashley was found in a rundown barn about a mile away after a dog barked at it, alerting people that someone may be inside. Officers went into the barn and arrested him. He was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was jailed under a $5,251,000 bond.
The two women who were in the car with Ashley remained in the car, and have not yet been formally charged, Hill said. No other weapons were found in the car.
"It's still under investigation," he said.
The sheriff's office is also still investigatings whether the two deputies returned fire when they were shot at, Hill said.
Contact Sarah Newell Williamson at 373-7076 or [email protected]
Copyright 2012 - News & Record, Greensboro, N.C.
