South Carolina man arrested after five-month nationwide manhunt

Joanna Johnson and Isabel Martin

44 mins ago

In January, a nationwide manhunt was launched for suspect Michael Trimaine Jackson after he followed a woman and attempted to steal her wallet.

TRAVELERS REST, SC (WSPA) – After a nationwide manhunt since January, police announced that a suspect wanted for numerous theft offenses in multiple counties has been arrested.

According to Travelers Rest police, Michael Tremaine Jacksonson was arrested in June on his warrants in Orlando, Florida. On Monday, Greenwood police traveled to Florida and executed their warrants.

The search involved multiple agencies in South Carolina and Florida, including the U.S. Marshalls. Authorities said Jackson had over 40 warrants from numerous law enforcement agencies, including the Travelers Rest Police Department.

7NEWS previously reported that Jackson followed a 75-year-old woman through several aisles of a Walmart to steal her wallet from her purse. At the time of the theft, Jackson was wearing a lab coat, a COVID-19 mask and a baseball cap, according to officials.

After Jackson allegedly received the wallet, he left Walmart, drove away, and went to another Walmart store. He reportedly used three of the victim’s credit cards to purchase two $500 prepaid Visa cards.

In 2023, Greenwood Police contacted TRPD regarding a similar theft that had occurred in Greenwood.

Jackson was previously arrested in Charleston on similar theft charges in June 2020. Officials noted that Jackson has a 75-page criminal history, including charges with authorities in the Upstate.

Jackson was extradited to the Greenwood County Detention Center on Tuesday. He also has outstanding warrants from Aiken County and Georgia.