Citrus County deputies on Thursday morning arrested a suspect in Homosassa who was the object of a drug search warrant.
The man, George Jackson, 53, is said to have eluded deputies for several hours before being discovered hiding under a nearby abandoned trailer.
The sheriff’s office said that the Sheriff Office’s Tactical Impact Unit (TIU) served a drug search warrant at 6705 W. Park Drive in Homosassa at about 8:30 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday afternoon. As detectives approached the house with two subjects standing outside, a man who was hiding inside a nearby shed, emerged and pointed a gun at two detectives and fled on foot away from the house the.
A perimeter was set up around the immediate area looking for Jackson, who deputies knew was armed. Deputies, K9’s and the sheriff’s aviation unit were deployed and started searching nearby wooded areas, and abandoned homes in the area. An “Alert Citrus” message was sent out to residents nearby urging them to lock their doors and to stay inside.
Jackson, with several stints in prison already, also has several felony warrants out of Hernando County, the Sheriff’s Office said, including selling, manufacturing and trafficking of controlled substances including methamphetamine and cocaine.
Approximately four hours later, deputies found Jackson underneath an abandoned trailer nearby. The SWAT team deployed tear gas underneath the trailer to get Jackson to come out. Eventually, Jackson came out from underneath the trailer and surrendered to deputies without incident.
The Sheriff’s Office said Jackson is being booked into the Citrus County Detention Center charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, plus other drug charges, pending further investigation.