Lee County man arrested after bizarre manhunt, school lockdown

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Tanglewood Elementary was temporarily on lockdown Wednesday while deputies searched for a man who was later arrested after he was initially discovered in a homeowner’s garage.

Jhermel Deante Knight, 28, of 5348 Summerlin Rd., is facing charges from the Fort Myers Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Knight prompted a multi-agency search after an encounter with homeowner Ronald Sears, who lives on Woodwind Court. Just before noon on Wednesday, Sears went to his garage where he discovered Knight.

“Oh no. I won’t hurt anyone,” Sears remembered Knight saying.

Sears shut the door while he called police. FMPD responded to the call, but Knight ran out of city limits, according to Lt. Jay Rodriguez of FMPD. Lee County deputies arrested him within their agency’s jurisdiction.

The lockdown was lifted at Tangelwood Elementary before 1 p.m.

Fort Myers police accuse Knight of eluding police, driving with a suspended license and resisting an officer without violence. Knight is also accused of two felony counts of burglary, according to LCSO.

No items were removed from the Sears’ residence, deputies said.