'Violent' Franklin Escapee Captured After Multi-State Manhunt

MOBILE, AL -- A man who assaulted a state trooper and escaped early Friday morning from outside the Williamson County Jail is now in custody.

The U.S. Marshal Service arrested Joseph Ray Perkins in Mobile, Ala., Monday after he allegedly put up a brief fight, ending his more than three days on the run across two states.

At 1:18 a.m. Friday, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper was preparing to take Perkins into the Williamson County Jail when Perkins, who had managed to slip his handcuffs from behind his back, got out of the car, assaulted the trooper and ran away, according to police.

The trooper was not injured.

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Perkins was added to the TBI's Most Wanted list Friday morning. He is wanted on charges of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, felony escape, evading arrest with a motor vehicle and theft over $10,000.

Police believe he may have stolen a pick-up from Vulcan Materials and fled the area.

According to the Tuscaloosa County, Ala, Sheriff's Office, Perkins later stole a truck — a black 1998 Dodge RAM with Alabama tag "4036AC6" — from a construction site in McCalla, a town about 20 miles from his hometown of Vance.

Perkins is wanted in Alabama on first-degree burglary charges and has a violent felony record, FPD said.

Franklin Police, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office and the highway patrol searched on the ground and in the air through the day Friday, urging residents to be vigilant and not leave unattended vehicles unlocked or running and to make sure homes are secure.

"Perkins is likely desperate, and area residents should avoid being outdoors if possible," FPD Lt. Charles Warner said in a release Friday morning.

Photo via Franklin Police