DATE: Sunday, April 27, 1997                TAG: 9704270060

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   43 lines

MASSIVE MANHUNT ENDS WITH ALLEGED GUNMAN'S CAPTURE ON ISLAND BEACH

A man who eluded authorities for about 11 hours after allegedly shooting at a sheriff's deputy on Ocracoke Island has been caught.

Jonathan Edward Jenks was found by police on an Ocracoke beach about 10:30 p.m. Friday after a massive manhunt on the 16-mile-long island.

Jenks apparently put up a struggle before being transported to the Hyde County Jail in Swan Quarter.

He remained in jail Saturday afternoon in lieu of $25,000 bond. He has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

His female companion, Leeanna Hale, was apprehended shortly after the pursuit began. She was charged with aiding and abetting the obstruction and delay of an officer.

Hale's $1,000 bond was reduced to an unsecured bond on Saturday, and she was released from jail, according to a spokeswoman for the Hyde County Sheriff's Department.

Jenks' and Hale's ages and addresses were not available Saturday.

Police say the couple was throwing beer bottles from a blue Cadillac with Florida license plates when they were stopped by Deputy Ed Fuller, who planned to charge them with littering.

Suddenly, Jenks, who had been traveling with a surfboard and bike tied to the top of his car, crashed into the police cruiser and then sped off the road and into a sand dune.

Jenks allegedly shot at a deputy and then dashed into a forested area.

A land and aerial manhunt, which included the Coast Guard in Elizabeth City, ensued. Authorities also closed off ferry services - and Jenks's best avenue of escaping the island - for the remainder of the day. Ferry service resumed around sunset.

Jenks was still at large by that time, while Hale had been arrested well before, at 11:41 a.m. on Friday.

The chase brought a little excitement to this normally sleepy Outer Banks village, with a permanent population of about 800. It also remained the talk of the town on Saturday.

``Nobody can figure out why he was doing it,'' said one woman, who asked not to be identified.

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