Putnam County Sheriff's Office uses drone to locate Interlachen murder suspect

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — John Webb is behind bars in Putnam County on murder charges.

Deputies said he shot and killed someone and then stabbed another person before trying to get away by running through the woods.

Not only were there eyes on the ground looking for him, but eyes in the sky. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office used a drone with heat-sensing technology to locate Webb.

Steve Rose, the director of law enforcement at the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said the drone technology really helps the department.

“We don’t have the ability to have a helicopter just because it's cost prohibitive, so this was our next best thing,” Rose said.

Deputies say they can also use the drone for other kinds of cases

For example, drones are vital “when we look for lost people that are in the woods, (though) fortunately we haven’t had to use it much for that,” Rose said.

Investigators can also easily zoom in on faces from the drone.

Deputies said they need a search warrant to use the drone, unless there’s an emergency like the one Tuesday night in Interlachen.

Cox Media Group