article

Nicholas Hamlett is suspected of murder in Tennessee. (Monroe County Sheriff’s Office)

The hunt for a fugitive who spent weeks on the run after allegedly calling in a bear attack hide a crime came to an end after being admitted to a hospital this weekend.

Nicholas Wayne Hamlett pretended to be a man named Brandon Andrade when he called 911 around 11:34 p.m. on Oct. 24 and told police he was injured and trapped in a body of water after a bear chased him from on a rock while hiking. Hamilton County, Tennessee, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post at the time.

Authorities tracked the call to an area near Tellico Plains, northeast of Chattanooga. There, they found a bloody body with Andrade’s ID — but injuries to the body were not consistent with a bear attack or a fall from a great height, authorities said, and the body was not Andrade’s. The sheriff’s office said the victim was later identified as 34-year-old Knoxville resident Steven Douglas Lloyd.

“Nicholas Wayne Hamlett met Steven, befriended him and lured him to a wooded area to take Steven’s life and identity,” the sheriff’s office said in a Nov. 4 Facebook post.

FBI, US Marshals Service Join Nationwide Manhunt for Murder Suspect Accused of Faking Bear Attack

Police said they later learned Andrade’s ID was stolen by Hamlett and used multiple times. Police believe Hamlett stole the ID to escape parole and then he faked his death for an unknown reason.

On Sunday evening, the authorities in Columbia, South Carolinanotified the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office that they found their fugitive “armed and dangerous” at a local hospital, the Tennessee agency wrote in a Facebook post.

“We would like to thank the news media for distributing Hamlett’s wanted poster across the country,” the office wrote. “Sharing Hamlett’s wanted poster made the public, our most valuable resource, act as our eyes and ears. After spotting Hamlett at a local hospital, a good citizen alerted the authorities and put an end to this manhunt.”

FBI JOINS INVESTIGATION AS QUIET COUNTRY TOWN, CULTURED BY RUDE KILLING, STAGED AS BEAR ATTACK

Members of the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Office joined Tennessee authorities on Oct. 30 at a press conference urging the public to look for Hamlett and the fugitive to surrender.

“Nick. Let’s get this over with. Turn yourself in. Get your day in court,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph Carrico. Nashville Field Office, he said at the press conference.

“The long arm of the law has a long and huge reach, and we will find you no matter where you hide. The deputies and investigators here now know their county well. The TBI agents know their state well. The FBI and the Marshal Service. know the country well and you have coverage in the whole world, so there’s nowhere to hide,” Carrico continued.

2 BOYS, BOTH 12, BIT ON HALLOWEEN FAMILY WARNING

Nicholas Wayne Hamlett was wanted for first degree murder in Monroe County, Tennessee. He allegedly stole Brandon Andrade’s identity and pretended to be Andrade when he called 911 posing as a hiker who had been chased off a cliff by a bear. (Monroe

Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones previously said Hamlett and Lloyd had known each other for “quite a few months” before the attack took place.

Hamlett, 45, used a fake name when police questioned him about his 911 call, they said. Authorities believe he abandoned his home in Tennessee and say he also has ties to Alabama, Montana, Alaska, Kentucky and Florida.

MURDERED MOTHER SUSAN SMITH’S DEAL OFFER INSPIRES 360 CORRESPONDENCE – SEE HOW MUCH FREEDOM FAVES HER

“There is a risk to the public, a great risk to the public,” Jones said. “The offender, he has a history. He knew this victim. He’s known him for several months now. But yes, there is a risk to the public. This was not an isolated incident by any means.”

The US Marshals Service has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the wanted man.

PASSER-by said suburban jogger’s murder suspect smiled at him moments after killing

In 2009, Hamlett was arrested in Niceville, Florida, after luring a man into the woods in Alabama, according to the WBS.

Hamlett held the Alabama man at gunpoint and tried to beat him with a baseball bat before burying him in the woods, AL.com reported. He used the name Joshua Jones when contacting that victim so “he could get insurance,” according to court documents reviewed by the agency.

MEDICAL STUDENT KILLED BY FORMER FRIEND AT CANCER CHARITY FUNDRAISER: POLICE

Hamlett was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping in 2012, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of felonious assault and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He had four prior felony convictions, according to the suit Alabama court records.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Hamlett is accused of first degree murder in the death of the unidentified man, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Read more on FOX News.