Suspect Leaves Trail Of Stolen Vehicles
Suspect Leaves Trail Of Stolen Vehicles
By David Howell
Editor
COFFEEVILLE – When the massive 14-hour manhunt ended Sunday morning with the arrest of a Georgia fugitive, Roy Dwayne Ruis offered a simple explanation to officers.
“This is what drugs will do to you,” the 26 year-old told the law enforcement officers participating in the search. The terrain had taken a toll on Roy Ruis, with numerous cuts and bruises as he traveled more than eight miles on foot in wooded areas along County Roads 82, 222, 212 and 87 east of Coffeeville with more than two dozen law enforcement officers from multiple agencies hot on his trail.
Roy Ruis is believed to have arrived in the county Tuesday and was staying at a residence with his sister, Amanda Ruis, located near Coffeeville. Humphreys said he was traveling in a vehicle stolen from Alabama with a hitchhiker he picked up along the way riding shotgun.
Ironically, Humphreys said Roy Ruis and Amanda Ruis traveled to Grenada in the stolen vehicle with the hitchhiker, who then stole the stolen vehicle while the siblings were inside a Grenada business.
“We don’t know who this hitchhiker is, but this is a bizarre story that will take a lot of time to sort out,” Humphreys told the Herald.
By midnight Sunday, Roy Ruis was facing charges for four stolen vehicles in Yalobusha County, plus breaking in a residence while on the run. The fugitive’s two sisters also face charges in connection to the crime spree – Amanda Ruis was charged with accessory after the fact and Olivia Ruis was charged in Pontotoc County with possession of stolen property and DUI after she wrecked a vehicle her brother allegedly stole.
The wrecked vehicle, a 2013 Volkswagen car, was taken from Townes Trucking on Hwy. 7 between Water Valley and Coffeeville. The car was recovered Thursday following the accident. Humphreys reported that Olivia Ruis was charged by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, who responded to the accident.
“When the Volkswagen was wrecked, it had not been reported stolen because the owner was working out of state and had not missed it,” Humphreys explained. “They determined the vehicle was stolen after contacting the owner.”
Local authorities were still unaware the wanted fugitive was in the county when they received a report of the theft of a second vehicle, a 2006 Dodge dually, stolen in the county Friday night near Gum’s Crossing. The next morning deputies received a report of a wrecked Chevrolet Camaro on County Road 82.
The Camaro, which was stolen from a repo lot in Webster County, provided the sheriff’s department their first break in the case.
“Two deputies and a Coffeeville police officer did a great job linking the stolen Camaro to Amanda Ruis and then to Roy Ruis. Their work broke this case and ultimately led to his arrest,” Humphreys said about the investigation.
The third stolen vehicle, an older Ford Ranger, was discovered during the manhunt in a wooded area near County Road 222. Humphreys said the stolen Dodge pickup was also recovered in the same area. On Monday, the sheriff said a stolen motorcycle was also reported missing and Roy Ruin admitted to stealing it after he was interrogated later that day. The motorcycle was recovered near Gum’s Crossing.
Humphreys credited his entire department and numerous assisting law enforcement agencies (see related story) for bringing the crime spree that spanned multiple states to an end.
“This was team work, this isn’t about one department or one officer, this effort is about hard-working law enforcement officers going the extra mile to put a dangerous criminal behind bars,” Humphreys told the Herald. “There is no way to put a dollar figure on what Roy Ruis cost law enforcement in extra man hours, both during this search and earlier manhunts in Georgia. Almost every deputy in our department joined the search, most working on their day off.”
Humphreys said his department has fielded numerous calls from law enforcement agencies in Mississippi and Georgia wanting to talk to the fugitive since his arrest.
“I suspect we will never really know the extent of Ruis’ crime spree. It appears he has committed crimes in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and quite possibly Florida,” the sheriff added. Roy Ruis could face a life sentence in Mississippi if he is convicted as a habitual offender. Humphreys said he is working with the District Attorney’s office, but if he is convicted, Ruis could serve his time in Mississippi after serving sentences in Georgia where he was already on parole.
