Dickson County, Tenn. — Authorities say the search continues for Steven Wiggins, the man suspected of first-degree murder in the death of a Dickson County deputy in Middle Tennessee.
The TBI released a new picture of Wiggins on Thursday, which they said were taken several days before the shooting.
The sheriff and the TBI said they couldn't give specifics on the search locations at the moment, saying they've received nearly 140 tips from across Tennessee.
"There's nothing 100 percent that says he's still in this area. Nothing 100 percent to say that he's not," Sheriff Bledsoe said.
On Wednesday morning, the search began for Wiggins after authorities responded to an altercation following a traffic stop that lead to the death of a Dickson County deputy, Sgt. Daniel Baker.
Authorities haven't announced a possible motive in the killing, but said Wiggins was quickly identified using surveillance footage.
During the course of the investigation, authorities said they developed information that Erika Castro-Miles, 38, participated in the incident. She has since been arrested and is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Baker's death, which court documents claim she watched as Wiggins fatally shot Baker.
Wiggins still hasn't been found, and the TBI eventually said it obtained a warrant for his arrest to charge him with first-degree murder in Baker's death after he had been originally named a person-of-interest.
"I sincerely pray he will get the maximum punishment... for the evil he has done," Sheriff Bledsoe said.
Authorities said the search has been hampered by the wooded terrain and recent soggy and muggy weather, which they say has made it difficult to track things like footprints.
The sheriff said authorities aren't providing specific information that could jeopardize the search. The U.S. Marshals are involved in the effort and made sweeps through the area that resulted in five unrelated arrests.
Authorities are encouraging people across the state to share any information they may have, and the TBI is offering up to a $12,500 reward for information that leads to Wiggins' capture.
The TBI said the photo taken above is the most recent known picture of Wiggins they've shared that was taken after an arrest in 2017.
Authorities said people, particularly those living on large patches of open land, should be extra vigilant for changes or things being disturbed on their property and report those to authorities -- saying Wiggins could be in hiding because of the 'desperate situation.'
The TBI mentioned Wiggins was last seen wearing a black polo shirt and blue jeans, but says people shouldn't focus too hard on that detail as he may have changed clothes since.
Should you spot Wiggins, authorities say not to approach him as he may be armed and dangerous. Instead, call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND and notify authorities.
UPDATE Thursday, May 31 5:00 a.m.:
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it has finalized an arrest warrant for a man now suspected of first-degree murder in the death of a Dickson County deputy.
The TBI said it obtained a warrant for Steven Wiggins, who's wanted in the murder of Sgt. Daniel Baker. Wiggins was last seen on foot and is considered armed and dangerous, according to the TBI.
Before the warrant was issued, Wiggins was originally named as a person-of-interest in the case.
Authorities arrested and charged a Dickson woman Wednesday evening accused in connection with Baker's death.
Dickson County Sergeant Daniel Baker was killed during an altercation with a suspect Wednesday morning.
During the course of the investigation, authorities said they developed information that Erika Castro-Miles, 38, participated in the incident.
The TBI said agents charged Castro-Miles Wednesday evening with one count of first degree murder. She was detained in the early stages of the investigation. As of 10:30 p.m., she remained in the custody of the Dickson County Jail, the TBI said.
The TBI said Wiggins remains the subject of a Tennessee Blue Alert and has also been added to the state’s Top 10 Most Wanted list. There is currently a reward of up to $12,500 for information leading to his arrest.
ORIGINAL STORY Wednesday, May 30, 2018:
A Dickson County Sheriff's Office deputy was killed Wednesday morning, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman.
Dickson County is in Middle Tennessee, just west of Nashville.
A search is underway in the southern portion of the county for a suspect involved in an early morning officer-involved shooting that took the life of Deputy Sgt. Daniel Baker, 32.
Baker was found dead in his patrol car after a vehicle was reported stolen in Kingston Springs, according to officials.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they issued a Blue Alert for Steven Wiggins, a person-of-interest in the incident. The TBI also added him to its Top 10 Most Wanted List with a $2,500 reward, saying he's wanted by the Cheatham County Sheriff's Office for theft and aggravated assault in Kingston Springs.
The TBI later sent out more recent photos of Wiggins from a 2017 arrest in Williamson County south of Nashville, and one of him without facial hair.
Citizens and motorists are being asked to clear the area along Tidwell Switch near the intersection with Bear Creek Valley Road at the Dickson-Hickman county line while law enforcement search for the suspect/person-of-interest.
According to WSMV in Nashville, police said Wiggins had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend Tuesday. He reportedly slapped her before he held a gun to her face and he stole her car.
East Tennesseans concerned over 'Blue Alert' sent to phones
WBIR 10News received questions from viewers wondering why the statewide alert issued by TBI that went to peoples' phones contained no information about the specific location of the search or the context behind why Wiggins was wanted.
Many said they were frightened that an 'armed an dangerous' man was lurking in East Tennessee because of the lack of immediate location or context in the alert. Similarly, Western and Central Tennesseans outside the immediate search area also voiced similar concerns on social media, saying it lacked details and they wished a location had been included.
Despite the alert, all indications now from law enforcement are that Wiggins is believed to be somewhere in the immediate area of Dickson County along South Bear Creek Road where the traffic stop happened and the search for a suspect is concentrated at the moment.
Leslie Earhart with the TBI said this is only the second time the TBI has sent out the statewide Blue Alert in the history of the program, which is sent via the same system as an AMBER Alert and notifies people across the state on their phones in cases in which a law enforcement officer has been killed or seriously injured by a suspect authorities are searching for.
In January 2018 following the shooting of a Knoxville Police officer, KPD said at the time it considered requesting for a Blue Alert in the search for the suspect that was later apprehended.
"The program uses the statewide infrastructure of the existing AMBER Alert system to push out critical information to citizens to assist in locating a missing child who is in imminent danger," according to the TBI's Blue Alert info page. "Blue Alerts are issued by the staff in TBI’s Criminal Intelligence Unit, who after determining a warranted Blue Alert, will activate the alert on TBI’s website, E-mail law enforcement and media the details of the incident."
The TBI did not comment on the lack of location within the actual phone alert itself, though.
Before the phone alert, the TBI had posted details on the Blue Alert about where and why Wiggins was named a person-of-interest to its social media accounts and website, which WBIR 10News sent an alert on its app and social media reporting that information roughly 10 minutes before the statewide alert appeared on phones in East Tennessee.
The TBI's website contains more details about each alert it sends, and like AMBER alerts the TBI also posts messages to the electronic message signs across Tennessee's interstate system.
As of 1:00 p.m., those signs along Knoxville's interstates said "POLICE BLUE ALERT. FOR INFO CALL 1-855-ALERT-TBI" according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation's Smartway website.
The TBI posted to Twitter after the alert that they'd also been made aware the Memphis area office of the National Weather Service issued a Child Abduction Alert in error while attempting to assist with the active Blue Alert, saying there is no active AMBER Alert in Tennessee at this time.