Anonymous Tip Leads Bartow Deputies To Murder Suspect

CARTERSVILLE, GA — Thanks to an anonymous tip, a man accused of murder in Polk County Saturday morning was arrested in Bartow County by Saturday evening.

Jesse Castillo, 40, of Rockmart is charged with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in connection with the death Saturday of Michael Griffith.

Bartow County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Castillo late Saturday night without incident. Castillo was then taken to the Polk County Jail, where he is being held without bond, according to The Polk Standard Journal.

Polk County Police responded at about 3:35 a.m. to a report of a shooting in the 500 block of Clarkwood Road near the Bellview community in Rockmart. When they arrived, they found Griffith, 40, with several gunshot wounds, lying in a ditch. Griffith was taken to Polk Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators said that Castillo, identified as the only suspect, fled the scene in a white work truck. The truck was found Saturday afternoon, abandoned in Cartersville. Castillo was found late that night.

Read the story in The Polk Standard Journal.