New Details About Bo Dukes, The Man Accused Of Hiding Tara Grinstead's Body
He was wanted on unrelated rape charges.
Warner Robins Police Department A Georgia man linked to the murder of Tara Grinstead, a teacher who went missing in 2005, was arrested Saturday following a manhunt that lasted nearly a week regarding new rape charges.
Bo Dukes, 34 was taken into custody Saturday evening after police located him at the home of one of his relatives.
“It was a group effort,” said John Edgar, chief inspector for the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force. “We knew he was in the area.”
Dukes was wanted by Warner Robins Police on charges of rape, aggravated sodomy, false imprisonment and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon related to an incident that occurred Jan. 1. He allegedly sexually assaulted two women at gunpoint and raped one of them in his Warner Robins home on New Year’s Day, according to police reports. He was charged with the crimes but was nowhere to be found.
Dukes was also wanted by federal authorities after a voluntary-surrender order was rescinded after the warrants for rape and related charges were issued.
Authorities received various tips that led them to the residence of one of Dukes' relatives in which he was hiding out. They waited outside of the Ocilla home until Dukes returned. He had been spotted driving toward the area earlier, according to investigators.
“It was not the easiest fugitive investigation, but everyone worked around the clock until they got him,” Edgar told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dukes is one of two defendants in the Tara Grinstead murder case. Grinstead, a former beauty queen and beloved Irwin County High School teacher, disappeared in October 2005 after a party. Dukes is accused of helping her accused murderer Ryan Duke burn and dispose of her body sometime between Oct. 23 and Oct. 28.
Her body was never found and no arrests were made until February 2017, when Duke was charged with her murder. Just days after the suspected killer's arrest, Dukes was arrested and released on a $15,000 bond for allegedly concealing Grinstead's remains.
In another unrelated case, Dukes was convicted of conspiracy to steal government property in 2013. He spent two years behind bars and was released in 2015, according to the ACJ, but failed to fulfill 40 hours of community service and owes the $130,000 restitution required for his supervised release.
In November, Dukes was ordered to serve six months and given 45 days to report to federal authorities. A judge revoked his pretrial release Thursday.
U.S. marshals, as well as the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office, the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office, the Irwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocilla Police Department, the GBI and the Warner Robins Police Department helped locate Dukes and take him into custody.
Members of Dukes' family released a statement to WALB Saturday regarding his arrest.
"Our family would like to thank all the local and state law enforcement for the safe capture of Bo Dukes," the statement reads. "The citizens of Wilcox, Ben Hill and Irwin counties can feel safe and secure with the level of professionalism exhibited by our law enforcement. The family remains steadfast in our belief that justice should and will be served. We are extremely sorry for the pain that has been inflicted by Bo’s actions. This most recent event just rubs the scab from a deep wound in our heart and soul that will never heal.”
Dukes is being held at Irwin County Jail. A court date was not immediately available.
“It’s going to be up to a judge to decide who gets him first,” Edgar told the AJC.
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.