LAKE CITY, Fla. – An off-duty Columbia County Sheriff's Office detective who was Christmas shopping Thursday afternoon at the Lake City Mall spotted a wanted felon and called for backup to make the arrest.
As Detective Sgt. Don Meyer walked the mall about 4 p.m., he recognized Terrance Davis from an FBI alert as a man wanted for murder in Las Vegas.
“You are never off-duty truly as a law-enforcement officer,” sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Murray Smith said. “We have times when we're not on the clock, but you never put your badge away. You never put your gun away when you sign up to do that. That's part of your life, and your liable to take action at any moment.”
The FBI had agents actively searching for Davis because there was a possibility he was in the Lake City area. The bulletin said Davis was “armed and dangerous” and gave a description of the suspect and automobile he might be driving.
“He's very good at what he does. He is the sergeant in charge of the detectives, so he's very in touch with what's going on,” Smith said. “I just think it was a very good job on his part to very calmly make sure he had enough people here.”
Meyer covertly called for deputies and undercover personnel from the drug task force to respond as he kept an eye on Davis. When all personnel were in place, detectives took Davis by surprise and arrested him without incident.
“He was literally surrounded, probably had 20 deputies here,” Smith said. “You want to take the time to get the numbers to make sure everybody is safe.”
Davis, 29, was booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility on an out-of-state warrant for murder and held with no bond.
“Sgt. Meyers’ keen eye and the excellent relationship we have with our partnering agencies are responsible for this dangerous felon’s safe capture,” Sheriff Mark Hunter said.
It is not clear if Davis knew someone in Columbia County or was just traveling through.