David Earl Doyle, age 48, of Savannah, TN was recently captured in Perry County following a tip that he was hiding out in a home in Linden. Doyle was a wanted fugitive out of Wayne County.
According to arrest reports filed by Investigator Matt Retherford of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, on or about May 19, 2023, Doyle and another individual allegedly entered a camper on Cotton Court in Clifton, TN without the owner’s consent. The pair allegedly went on to steal a PlayStation valued at $300 from inside the camper. Doyle was charged at that time with burglary and theft under $1,000.
On June 15, 2023, Captain Tim Beckham made contact with Doyle as he was driving a stolen 2002 Dodge Dakota truck on Arnold Hollow Road. Capt. Beckham was aware that Doyle had outstanding felony warrants for the May burglary, and attempted to make contact with him. Doyle came to a stop, and Capt. Beckham pulled up next to him and told him that he needed to speak with him. Before Capt. Beckham could get out of his police vehicle, Doyle allegedly drove away at a high rate of speed. Capt. Beckham pursued Doyle, who reached speeds up to 100mph, and continued fleeing into Hardin County. Doyle eventually wrecked the vehicle and fled on foot into a wooded area, evading officers. At that time, Doyle received additional charges of evading arrest, reckless driving, and two counts of reckless endangerment related to his two passengers during the pursuit and crash.
Last week, Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems said that his office received a tip that Doyle was hiding out at a home on Polk Street in Linden. A team of officers was assembled to surround the home on foot, and a search of the home ensued.
Doyle was found in a very confined space in the attic of the home, where he had covered himself with insulation. When confronted by the officers, Doyle allegedly sprayed pepper spray into the faces of two Perry County deputies. He then allegedly began trying to set the attic on fire with a butane torch. Deputies returned force with the deployment of tasers, and Doyle ultimately fell through the attic floor into the room below.
Another Perry County deputy confronted Doyle in the living room, and Doyle allegedly sprayed that deputy with pepper spray as well, and struck him in the eye with the end of a large hunting knife.
Doyle then fled out of the home into a thicket area and was once again confronted by a deputy. When that Perry County deputy ordered Doyle to stop, Doyle allegedly struck him on the wrist and in the bulletproof vest with the hunting knife.
Doyle continued to flee on foot and entered a drainage ditch. A deputy began crawling into the tile to apprehend Doyle, and Doyle set off some kind of explosion. Officers used the city’s tile and pipe camera to scope the tile, and secured both ends of it. After about 90 minutes, Doyle finally surrendered and was taken into custody. He was transported to the Perry/Wayne county line, where he was turned over to Wayne County deputies. Doyle was booked into the Wayne County Jail on $47,500.00 bond related to his prior Wayne County charges. It is expected that Doyle will also face multiple charges in Perry County.
Perry County Sheriff Weems said that Doyle has had at least a twenty-year “reign of terror” involving crime and prison time. “Hopefully, the judicial system works in our favor, and Doyle remains behind bars for many more years,” said Sheriff Weems.
