WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — A burglary suspect has been apprehended after a manhunt in DeFuniak Springs.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report of a burglary on Corbin Gainey Road, where a homeowner claimed that an air compressor and other tools were missing from their shed. Witnesses revealed that a man wearing a black shirt, a ball cap, and blue jeans had left the property just before the deputies arrived.
Despite canvassing the area, the suspect couldn’t be located. Later, the suspect reportedly returned to the property but fled into the woods upon seeing the deputies.
The Walton and Okaloosa Correctional Institutions’ K9 Teams and the WCSO’s drone team responded to the scene to track the suspect.
Authorities sent a reverse 911 call to residents in the area describing the suspect. Eventually, a resident called the WCSO, stating that a man fitting the suspect’s description had visited their home, claiming he was injured, and requested a ride home.
The resident was unaware that the suspect was wanted by the law, and her husband had left with the suspect to take him home.
However, deputies intercepted the vehicle at the intersection of Farrell Drive and Kings Lake Road. The suspect, identified as Randall Jason Burchette, allegedly admitted to taking the items and agreed to lead the deputies to his home, where the stolen items were reportedly recovered.
Burchette has been charged with burglary of a structure, petit theft, and resisting without violence.
