Deputies arrest and identify suspect after manhunt in Newberry Co.

NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - Deputies have identified the man who was arrested after a manhunt in Newberry County.

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said 35-year-old Demenous Quinard Bookman is facing multiple charges after he was accused of committing crimes.

Detectives said at 1:21 p.m. on Feb. 14, during a domestic incident with a partner, Bookman pulled out a long gun and fired while at the intersection of Candy Kitchen Road and U.S. Highway 76.

Bookman then fled into the woods with his gun, he then allegedly threw his gun in a wooded area according to Sheriff Lee Foster.

Detectives said Bookman was spotted by deputies in a neighborhood yard a little under a mile away from multiple schools in the area, including, Prosperity-Rikard Elementary school, Mid-Carolina High School, and Mid-Carolina Middle School.

The schools were then put on alert according to investigators.

While the Sheriff’s Office tracking team was trying to find Bookman, a citizen said they saw a suspect matching the description of Bookman on Wessinger Drive in Prosperity according to investigators.

The schools were then put on lockdown while the tracking team went to the location and found Bookman in a wooded area said, deputies.

Sheriffs said the schools resumed normal operations at 2:00 p.m. and no one was injured during the manhunt.

Sheriff Lee Foster said “We are sorry we had to go through a lockdown and concern students, parents, and teachers. However, poor choices on the suspect’s part prompted us to take preventative measures.”

Bookman is being charged with attempted murder, breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Bookman is being held at the Newberry County Detention Center.

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