A 33-year-old Sweetwater man led authorities on a manhunt for approximately three hours Thursday morning.
Nolan County Sheriff David Warren said the department received a call at approximately 7:26 a.m. from a resident who became suspicious when a man, who was on foot, arrived at their property asking to purchase bottled water.
The caller said they gave the man a ride to a rest area on Interstate 20 eastbound near mile marker 257 in Nolan County, Warren said.
When a Nolan County deputy made contact with the man, later identified as Edward Van Weldy, 33, of Sweetwater, he became evasive when asked questions.
As deputies were attempting to identify Weldy, they found that he was a fugitive with a "blue" warrant, meaning he was in violation of parole. Warren said he was not immediately aware of what charges Weldy was on parole for or how he violated conditions.
"A blue warrant in an immediate arrest," Warren said. "Once he realized he was discovered, he ran into a wooded area. A pretty extensive search began at 8:32 this morning."
Weldy was captured at approximately 11:35 a.m., Warren said.
Warren said multiple agencies assisted in Thursday's search for Weldy including the 32nd Judicial District Attorney's Office, Texas Parks & Wildlife game wardens and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Warren said the TPWD K-9 officer who responded to the scene was very helpful in capturing Weldy.
"The quick response was helpful catch him. We covered a lot of ground," Warren said.
