Target of manhunt in Ingham County has 'psychotic episodes,' mother says

Eric Lacy | Lansing State Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Capt. Greg Harris describes what led to search for man thought to be armed and dangerous Ingham County Capt. Greg Harris discusses situation that led to search for armed and dangerous man in the Mason area.

AURELIUS TWP. - A man who police described as "armed and dangerous" and who remains at large has a long history of contact with the criminal justice system.

Eddie Howard Rockwell Jr., 34, of Onondaga, was the subject of a massive police search in the Mason area on Sunday after deputies encountered him near a home in Aurelius Township and saw him with a handgun.

Records show Rockwell served prison time for a drug conviction in Ingham County and has several convictions for driving while intoxicated or impaired in Ingham and Jackson counties.

Rockwell was last seen armed with a black handgun about 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the 600 block of Edgar Road, police said.

The Ingham County Sheriff's Office and other agencies called off the search for Rockwell at about 9 p.m. Sunday evening because police said at that time they believed he was no longer in the Mason area.

The sheriff's office's search resumed Monday. He was taken into custody early Tuesday.

Ingham County Sheriff's Office Capt. Greg Harris wrote early Monday afternoon in an email to the State Journal the sheriff's office is no longer searching fields for Rockwell.

Police are using "other means," Harris said.

"I cannot go into specifics on what they are," Harris said.

RELATED: Search for armed man called off; he remains at large

Rockwell is described as a 5-foot-8 white male with a buzz cut hairstyle. Police said he was last seen wearing a white or gray tank top, black pants and a black hat in the area of Edgar and Harper roads.

Residents are asked to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.

Mom says son suffers from PTSD, would 'rather die first' than go back to prison

The police search is terrifying, said Denise Rockwell, his mother.

Denise Rockwell said Monday her son spent five years in prison for running a meth lab and has suffered post-traumatic stress since his release a few years ago.

Denise Rockwell said she hasn't heard from her son since they had an argument inside their Leslie home Friday evening and doesn't know why he was found by police Sunday morning on Edgar Road in Aurelius Township.

"My son has said he doesn’t want to go back to prison," Denise Rockwell said. "He would rather die first.”

There's an active warrant for Rockwell's arrest in Ingham County unrelated to Sunday's incident, Harris said.

Court records indicate Rockwell is currently charged with dealing or manufacturing marijuana. Denise Rockwell confirmed Monday there's also an active warrant for his father, Eddie Rockwell Sr.

She said they were charged with drug manufacturing because of a medical marijuana grow operation inside the home both thought was legal.

How the search for Eddie Rockwell began

The search for Rockwell started at 11:30 a.m. Sunday after police received calls that he was "peeking in windows" of homes, Harris said.

Rockwell disobeyed deputies' orders to stop in that area, fumbled the black handgun he possessed, picked it up and fled west toward Aurelius Road, Harris said.

About 50 police officers from several agencies assisted in Sunday's portion of the search.

Police said that Rockwell may be connected to a vehicle crash that occurred before 6 a.m. Sunday at Edgar and Barnes roads.

The crashed vehicle, according to a news release, belonged to Rockwell.

Denise Rockwell said her son stole a vehicle Saturday that belonged to his father — a dark green 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue.

Denise Rockwell said she doesn't know how her son got a gun.

She's hopeful her son will return to the family's home safely and receive help for "psychotic episodes" that have led to his dangerous behavior.

"He wants help," Denise Rockwell said. "He doesn’t know how to deal with this. When he comes out of these episodes he doesn’t remember some of what happened.”

Eddie Rockwell Jr. pleaded guilty in Ingham County in 2003 to felony possession of methamphetamine and ecstasy, according to online Michigan State Police records.

Less than a year later, records indicate Rockwell pleaded guilty in Ingham County to "operating/maintaining a laboratory near specified places" and possession of a controlled substance. The records show he was sentenced to 2 years to 20 years in prison.

State police records show Rockwell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated or impaired in Ingham County in 2013 and 2014. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving while intoxicated or impaired in Jackson County in early 2015, the records show. He was sentenced to probation or jail time in each of those cases.

Ashely Harrell, 32, of Jackson, worked with Eddie Rockwell Jr. for nearly two years at TAC Manufacturing, an auto supplier in the city.

They started working together in 2014. Harrell said she reported Rockwell to the human resources department around that time because he carried a knife at work and was worried he would attack someone.

“My heart just sunk because I thought ‘Oh my gosh, I know this guy,'” Harrell said of Sunday's news that Rockwell is wanted by police. "It didn’t surprise me, but at the same time it did because it was somebody I know (with a criminal past).

"I’ve never known somebody who has done something like this."

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.