At approximately 4:28 a.m. Friday, March 15, Long County 911 received a report of a woman being assaulted near her Ludowici home, according to an online release posted to the Long County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
As the Long County Sheriff's Office was assisting Ludowici Police Department with the criminal investigation, Sgt. Su Li with the LCSO spotted the suspect on foot headed west, according to the release.
Long County deputies pursued the suspect on foot, and he fled into the swampy areas near Morgan Lake, which is 4 miles west of Ludowici and south of U.S. Highway 84, according to LCSO investigator Lt. Tom Sollosi. Officers established a perimeter, and surrounded a large area.
Sheriff Craig Nobles requested K-9 tracking dogs, from the State Prison Tracking Team, DNR Law Enforcement, and GSP Aviation. The suspect was eventually apprehended near the railroad tracks. GBI Crime Scene Specialists and Special Agents processed the crime scene.
The investigation resulted in the arrest of Ronald Ray Lowry, Jr., 48, of a Pulaski, Arkansas address. Lowry has been charged with Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Attempt to Commit Rape, and False Imprisonment. Bond has been denied by the Long County Magistrate's Office. Lowry is being held in the Tattnall County Jail, according to LCSO officials.
Sollosi described the search for Lowry in greater detail: “Lowry was captured approximately 3.75 miles west of Ludowici in a very remote area of the county, in the swamp land between U.S. Highway 84 and the train tracks which run to Jesup,” he said. “Lowry was very close to the tracks and we believe he may have been attempting to use the tracks as an escape route. It's hard to say. Lowry was traveling on foot near Highway 84 when he was spotted, so he probably was just trying to get as far away from the pursuing officers as quickly as he could. He was in a bad spot when he was sighted. From that point on the road, there is very little navigable woods or trails. He went through the wetlands as best he could but the blood hounds from the prison are top notch. If they have a good track, you are going to get caught unless you somehow steal a vehicle or get a ride.”