Union County rape suspect captured near Lee/Pontotoc County line

A man believed to have raped a woman in Union County early Saturday morning, August 26, was captured Monday afternoon after an intense law enforcement chase.

The rape suspect, Louis Winston Scott, age 44, was arrested near the Lee/Pontotoc County line about 3 p.m., August 28th, after a pursuit that began around 11 am.

During the past weekend a woman told law enforcement that she was raped near Blue Springs in the early hours Saturday. She reportedly had a “rape kit” performed soon thereafter at Baptist Memorial Hospital – Union County.

The woman reported that a vehicle came up behind her with flashing emergency lights early Saturday morning on I-22 near Blue Springs. Believing it was a law officer, she stopped her vehicle, and was kidnapped, taken to a remote area and raped.

A short time earlier, another woman reported that she had been stopped in northern Lee County by a man with flashing lights, whom she first took to be a law officer. The woman stopped in Lee County suspected the man was not a policeman and fled the scene in her car. She was, however, able to give authorities a useful description of the suspect and the vehicle he was driving.

According to Lee County Sheriff Jimmy Johnson, “Our victim believed she was being pulled over by a legitimate law enforcement officer.”

Both women were interviewed by officers. Based on information obtained, officers determined that Scott, who had been convicted of sexual battery and had served 14 years in the Mississippi prison system, might be the perpetrator. He had been released on probation from the Mississippi Department of Corrections earlier in 2017.

The office of Union County Sheriff Jimmy Edwards obtained a warrant for the search of Scott’s Pontotoc home. Sheriff Edwards said no one was at the home when he attempted to serve the warrant Monday morning.

A short time later, Scott was spotted on foot in a bean field by a Pontotoc County deputy sheriff. A pursuit by officers from Union, Pontotoc and Lee counties started immediately. Sheriff Edwards said a law enforcement helicopter from Desoto County also helped with the search.

The suspect had made his way on foot through woods and fields before he was captured. He is lodged in the Lee County Jail. The car believed to have been used in the two incidents is in the custody of the Union County sheriff’s department.

Sheriff Edwards praised the coordinated work by several law enforcement agencies that result in Scott being captured.
It is expected that he will be arraigned and charged with multiple charges, including kidnapping and rape.