Authorities have apprehended a Tylertown man sought in connection with a killing earlier this week in Walthall County after a nearly two-day search involving multiple agencies and a dog team.
Yerby Hughes, 46, was taken into custody as a person of interest by the Walthall County Sheriff’s Office early Thursday morning.
Lawmen converged on Hughes, who was holed up in an abandoned shed east of the city cemetery on Highway 27 near the old Lamkin Conerly house.
Earlier in the day, their search had focused on an area near the Holmes Water Park and a Tylertown sewage lagoon off Sumrall Street, the old Dixie Youth ball park, South Railroad Avenue, Louisiana Avenue and the former Rushing Auto Parts salvage yard along Magee’s Creek.
Sheriff’s officials were assisted by Tylertown police, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and Rayburn Correctional Center’s dog tracking team.
Walthall County Coroner Chris Blackwell said Hughes was wanted in for questioning in the shooting death of Chad Bryant, 43, of Tylertwon, who was slain Tuesday morning on Kirkland Road.
The Tylertown Times reported that Hughes had been seen driving Bryant’s white Ford F-150 pickup, which was found around noon Tuesday — about five hours after the shooting was reported — in the yard of an abandoned house near where Hughes was captured.
The Walthall County Sheriff’s Office released no further information on the arrest, and did not include charges nor did they connect Hughes to the death earlier this week in either social media posts pertaining to him. Multiple messages asking for more information to Walthall County Sheriff Kyle Breland were not returned by press time Thursday.
