East Naples manhunt ends in arrest

EAST NAPLES, Fla. The subject of a nearly five-day manhunt is now in custody, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said.

Jorge Jimenez, who’s accused of shooting at deputies Friday night, was arrested shortly after noon Wednesday as he tried to enter his home on 25 Covey Lane.

He ran when deputies confronted him, but they caught up to him a few doors down, according to the sheriff’s office.

The brief chase paled in comparison to the all-out search that took place earlier. Deputies rooted through the Quail Roost, Treasure Cove and Fiddlers Creek neighborhoods Tuesday with ground, K-9 and aviation units, a coordinated effort that prompted nearby Manatee Elementary School to keep students inside.

It’s unclear whether anything uncovered in that effort, or in similar searches Friday and Saturday, helped lead to Wednesday’s arrest.

Deputies had already recovered the weapon Jimenez is accused of using in the Friday encounter near his home. No one was hurt that night when he opened fire as deputies chased him following a domestic dispute, the sheriff’s office said.

Crime Stoppers offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Jimenez faces a charge of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer as well as multiple other related charges.

Jimenez has been accused of running from the law before. He was arrested in May 2016 after deputies said he led them on a car chase in which he ran several stop signs before ultimately pulling over and jumping out of the car.

He fled that time because he was buying marijuana and was scared of getting caught, deputies said.

Breaking news: Jorge Jimenez was arrested minutes ago and is in CCSO custody. pic.twitter.com/dO8dJCaJgM

— CollierCountySheriff (@CollierSheriff) February 1, 2017