Georgia deputy shot is expected to return to work next week

DALTON, Ga. — A Georgia deputy who was wounded in a shooting that touched off a massive manhunt is recovering and expected to return to work next week, state law officers Thursday.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation provided the update on Whitfield County sheriff’s deputy Darrell Hackney in a description of how Texas fugitive Dalton Potter was apprehended.

Potter is accused of opening fire on Hackney during a traffic stop in Dalton, Georgia, around midnight early Monday. Potter fled into the woods, but was captured Wednesday night near Resaca, Georgia.

“We probably have over 100 officers, we’ve set up a strong perimeter, we still have the (Georgia State Patrol) helicopter in the air, we’ve got K-9s on the ground tracking in the woods,” Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood told reporters Wednesday evening, shortly before Potter was captured.

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Potter, 29, is also accused of shooting a local resident during the search near Resaca. That man is hospitalized in stable condition and is expected to recover, the GBI said Thursday. Noah Cloer identified his father, Eddie Cloer, as the victim. He was feeding animals in his yard when Potter attacked, shooting him in the arm and grazing his head, Noah Cloer told WTVC. Eddie Cloer was able to fire back and Potter fled, his son said.

Resaca is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, and about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the city of Dalton, where the deputy was shot.

Hackney, the deputy who was shot, was saved by his ballistic vest, the GBI said. Hackney and another deputy returned fire, but Potter drove away south on Interstate 75. He wrecked the truck and escaped into the woods on foot, the GBI said.

Potter was hauling explosives in a stolen trailer that was found along the southbound lanes of I-75, near the Whitfield-Gordon county line, authorities have said. He faces numerous charges in Texas and Georgia, including possession of an explosive by a convicted felon and multiple counts of aggravated assault and aggravated battery.

A second Texas man, Jonathan Hosmer, 47, was arrested Tuesday after surveillance video recorded him leaving the truck crash. Also wanted in Texas on larceny and theft charges, he’s charged in Georgia with possession of methamphetamine, bringing stolen property into the state, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.