Families in SWVA shelter in place as manhunt continues

LEE COUNTY, Va. (WYMT) - On Tuesday, people in Lee County, Virginia received an alert from the sheriff’s office to shelter in place because of an ongoing manhunt in the area.

On Wednesday, officials with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the suspect is Jason Dockery. He is reportedly wanted out of Anderson County, Tennessee in a homicide case.

A police chase in Campbell County, Tennessee ended in Lee County, Virginia.

One family in Lee County said they are grateful for the swiftness of law enforcement to inform them about the situation to ensure their safety.

“And they closed the schools down today which is awesome because I love my kids, I don’t want nothing happening to my kids.” said an Ewing father.

He also added the sheriff’s office sent text alerts to help keep everyone informed.

“And I want to praise Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Gary Parsons. He has done an excellent of sending out information and letting everybody know what is going on,” he explained.

His brother, Joseph Johnson, who lives in Savannah Georgia, said living hundreds of miles away from his brother during a time like this is making him uneasy.

“It’s scary to know that it’s that close to his house. It’s scary. You know it could happen to anybody, anywhere but it’s my brother and his family to be that close to his house, it’s scary,” said Johnson.

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to a $5,000 reward to anyone who offers information that leads to the finding of Dockery.

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