Sheriff Takes Two Into Custody:

On Wednesday, May 19, 2021, deputies with the Lewis County Sheriff's Department were working criminal interdiction in the south/southeast portion of Lewis County due to complaints of criminal activity in the area.

Lieutenant Brad Lawson spotted a vehicle that had been described as a possible vehicle being driven by a wanted person. The vehicle then began driving aggressively west bound on Howard Switch Road in an attempt to evade Lt. Lawson. Sergeant Todd Webb was west of the location where he was able to identify the driver of the vehicle as the wanted person.

Marvin T. Murdock was identified as the driver and a traffic stop was conducted at Ashley Road and Howard Switch Road. Murdock was taken into custody on an outstanding bench warrant for failure to appear. Search incident to arrest yielded methamphetamine and marijuana in the arrestees possession along with other evidence including US currency and drug paraphernalia.

Murdock was arrested on the outstanding warrant and additionally charged with manufacture, delivery, sale or possession of methamphetamine (felony), simple possession of schedule VI (marijuana) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Murdock is currently being held at the Lewis County Jail without bond for the failure to appear plus $102,000 for the new charges.

On Thursday, May 20, 2021 investigators with the Lewis County Sheriff's Department assisted the United States Marshall's Service conducting an operation to locate and arrest a wanted person out of the state of Alabama.

Officers were lead to an address on Kimmins Street during their investigation. At this location Richard Franklin Gooch, wanted out of Lauderdale County, Alabama for sex offender registration violation was located.

Search incident to arrest, two baggies weighing 4.2 grams of methamphetamine was found in Gooch's possession along with mixed denominations of US currency.

Gooch was arrested on the Lauderdale County, Alabama warrant along with being charges in Lewis County with manufacture, delivery, sale or possession of methamphetamine (felony), sex offender registration violation and warrant of arrest for a crime in another state.

Currently Gooch is in the Lewis County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

Sheriff Dewayne Kilpatrick would like the community to know that all information and concerns received are investigated. The Lewis County Sheriff's Department takes a proactive stance investigating crime in our community. Tips can be made anonymously to the Lewis County Sheriff's Department at 931-796-5096.