“We don’t like criminals in Pearl,” said Mayor Brad Rogers. “We’ll try to catch all of them.”
That’s a very ordinary statement for a small-city Mississippi mayor to make. However, it is rare that a mayor makes that statement after helping police take down a suspect.
“I just did what I think anyone else would have done,” said Rogers.
Rogers was returning from having lunch with Pearl Police Chief Tim Sarrett and a city attorney when the call for assistance came over the radio. A man had attempted identity theft and fraud at the local bank, and then took off.
“We were already headed that way, when the call came over that an officer was down,” said Rogers.
Rogers and Sarrett jumped out to check on the officer, who had taken a fall during the chase.
“Once we figured out that his injuries weren’t overly threatening, he looked up at us and said ‘go get that guy’ and so we went to find him,” said Rogers.
It was back to the manhunt again, when Rogers spotted the suspect jumping a fence to an apartment complex.
“My mind told me, if he got in one of those apartments, we wouldn’t know where he was,” said Rogers. “We’re not going to have that.”
Rogers said he hopped the fence behind the suspect, and came down right near him.
“He was worn out,” said Rogers. “He had been running a while. I just told him ‘stay down, man. Don’t get up.”
And he didn’t. Officers arrested him seconds later.
Jermaine Marshall of Chicago was charged with identity theft, fraud, and disobeying the order of a police officer.
“I did what anyone else would have done,” said Rogers. “I was there, to help the police.”
Here’s Rogers explaining what happened to News Mississippi:
