NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A serial burglary suspect who was arrested last week is now facing several additional charges after Metro Nashville police said they were able to connect him to yet another crime.
Ronald McKnight, 43, was listed among Nashville's "Most Wanted" fugitives for more than a year before his arrest on Feb. 14, 2024. At the time, he was wanted on 32 outstanding warrants related to a series of burglaries dating back to September 2022.
Some of the charges against him also stem from a Jan. 20, 2023, case in which he was accused of breaking into a Goodlettsville home and robbing a woman at gunpoint. However, officials said McKnight continued to elude capture for some time, "despite intensive investigative work.”
Detectives finally tracked McKnight down after he was spotted driving near Buena Vista Pike on his birthday. Police followed him to an apartment complex on Heritage Drive, where he reportedly tried to run away, but was quickly apprehended.
Afterward, he was charged with two additional offenses for evading arrest and allegedly possessing around 20 grams of cocaine, bringing the total number of charges against him to 34 — just shy of three dozen.
However, more charges were recently filed against McKnight after officials said they were able to connect him to another burglary that happened on Jan. 5, 2024. In an arrest affidavit, police said a woman parked her car at Shelby Bottoms Park and went for a walk.
She returned about 45 minutes later to find her rear passenger window broken out. The front passenger window also appeared to have damage from someone trying to break in. Items taken from inside the woman's vehicle included her purse, medication and credit cards.
The woman was later notified that her cards had been used at a Kroger on Gallatin Pike and a Walmart on Dickerson Pike, the affidavit said. Video surveillance footage from the stores reportedly helped detectives connect McKnight to the crime.
Investigators said he could be seen wearing a light-colored sweatsuit, sock cap, tan work boots, and a face mask, but the key identifier was allegedly tattoos on the back of his hand. Photos of the tattoos were disseminated to other officers, who reportedly confirmed they were McKnight's.
Altogether, McKnight is now facing 42 charges. As of Thursday, Feb. 22, he remained behind bars in Davidson County. McKnight is among 89 "Most Wanted" fugitives who have been taken into custody since the program was launched in October 2022.
Authorities have largely attributed the program's success to tips from the public. To view this week's list of "Most Wanted" fugitives out of Nashville, click here.
from WKRN News 2 https://ift.tt/nYGutEo
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