Men wanted in Ross County in custody in New Mexico

LAS CRUCES, NM - James D. Nelson II and Jesse D Hanes — wanted for the July 25 shooting death of a Ross County man — are in custody in New Mexico.

But the Ohio duo is also believed to be involved with the fatal shooting of a police officer in Hatch, N.M., which resulted in their capture.

Early Saturday, Lt. Mike Preston of the Ross County Sheriff's Office confirmed they have received word from New Mexico officials that Nelson and Hanes were taken into custody on the warrants out of Ross County.

Nelson, of Newark, and Hanes, of Columbus, in connection to the July shooting death of 62-year-old Londonderry resident, Theodore Timmons, who was found dead in his home on Poes Run Road July 25. Both men have criminal records in Ohio.

At 3:41 p.m.(mountain time) a police officer, Jose Chavez, conducting a traffic stop near a convenience store in Hatch was shot by one of the passengers of a gray Lexus. The passenger came out of the vehicle and shot the officer, according to Kelly Jameson, public information officer at Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, during a press conference Friday. Chavez, a two-year veteran of the Hatch Police Department was later pronounced dead. The Las Cruces Sun-News reported the city's mayor said he learned of Chavez’s death from the police chief, who was with Chavez’s family at University Medical Center in El Paso.

A responding officer called in an officer down and began to chase the suspects in the Lexus on the interstate, but was unable to catch up. At speeds reportedly in excess of 100 mph, Jameson said, the vehicle left the highway, where they abandoned the vehicle and allegedly carjacked a red Chevrolet Cruze at a rest stop and shot the driver of the car in the process at 4:02 p.m.

The suspect's car then got onto a state highway, and stop sticks were placed on the road and flattened the tires of the vehicle.The driver was able to turn into a driveway but lost control of the Cruze and crashed the vehicle into a pile of wood. The driver briefly barricaded himself inside, but eventually gave up and officers discovered he was suffering from a gunshot wound to the thigh, Jameson said. He was been taken to receive medical treatment.  The three suspects are in custody in connection with the incident. Jameson said the entire incident lasted approximately four hours and the search for the suspects included assistance from the Border Patrol and FBI.

No information is immediately available on the condition of the car-jacking victim.

Jameson said in a press conference that the Hatch police force is comprised of eight officers.

Ross County Sheriff's Office officials found a Ford Escort believed to be connected to Nelson and Hanes in Newark July 30.