Recent case shows effectiveness of tips programs in law enforcement
LAMAR COUNTY, AL./LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An escapee from Columbus is found under a bed in West Alabama.
Christopher Austin Tedford was caught Monday, August 4, at a home on McCrary Road in Sulligent.
Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said a tip from Crime Stoppers led law enforcement to Tedford.
Tedford is being charged with resisting arrest in Lamar County.
He will be brought back to Mississippi, where he faces escape and burglary charges in Lowndes County and shoplifting in Amory.
Tedford and his girlfriend, Heather Russ, are accused of stealing more than $1,000 in tires from Walmart.
He allegedly got a Walmart employee uniform to help pull off the heist.
Tedford later escaped from law enforcement custody at a Columbus hospital.
The owner of the home in Sulligent, Ben Allen, along with Rebecca Pierce and Monte Grubowski, will be charged with hindering prosecution.
Lamar County deputies and Sulligent police helped with the arrest.
This investigation involving multiple agencies led to the arrest after a tip was sent in.
The Lowndes County Sheriff’s office says they take every tip they get through Crimestoppers seriously, and they follow up no matter what it is.
Sheriff Eddie Hawkins says in the case of Austin Tedford, who was wanted on escape, felony shoplifting, and burglary charges, it was an anonymous tipster that led them to his hiding place in Lamar County
“In this situation, the tipper was recent enough and accurate to where we were able to go to the residence and locate the individual that we were looking for,” Hawkins said.
“I got a call last night around 9:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m. The caller said they were 100% certain that the violator was at this particular address in Sulligent, Alabama,” Patrol Captain Chad Bell said. “So, as my job as the coordinator, I coordinated with Lamar County and I coordinated with Sulligent P.D. I had one of our deputies respond. They met up, and they went to the address that was given, and he was there under a mattress.”
Hawkins says Tedford was charged with resisting arrest in Lamar County and will face those charges before being extradited to Mississippi.
When crimes cross county or even state lines, there is still a common goal. And with the public’s help, they can achieve that goal.
“Any time we get a tip through Crimestoppers, you know, if it takes us outside of our jurisdiction, we work with the authorities or our counterparts in that jurisdiction so that we can act on the tip and be able to make the arrest,” Hawkins said. “In this situation, that’s exactly what happened.”
Hawkins and Patrol Captain Chad Bell say this is an example of how, when you see something, you should say something so authorities can act on the information.
“You’re helping your community,” Bell said. “If a person of interest is living or staying beside where you live and you know it, it’s just a matter of time before you become a victim. So it’s in everyone’s best interest to help catch these bad guys, get them off the street, because eventually you’re going to get hemmed up in it if you know where they’re at and they’re nearby.”
“Tipping is not snitching,” Hawkins said. “It’s giving information that’s going to lead to an arrest. This information is anonymous. We don’t even know who this person is who called and gave us information. And that’s the way we want to keep it. We don’t have any way of tracking this person down when they submit a tip through the P3 Tips app. That information is also anonymous. We have no way of knowing who the tipster is.”
To leave an anonymous tip, you can call Golden Triangle Crimestoppers at 1-800-530-7151 or use the P3 Tips app.
Tips leading to an arrest are eligible for a cash reward.
