A Georgia fugitive apparently decided getting wet was worth a shot when Cherokee County deputies showed up to take him into custody Tuesday afternoon.

Deputies went to a campground in the Wildwood Cove area off County Road 182 to serve a warrant for the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

They found 33-year-old Eric Carl Virta of Cartersville, Georgia, but when deputies attempted to take him into custody, Virta ran and jumped into the water.

He crossed to the other side and entered the Kirk’s Grove/Mud Creek area, where deputies began searching for him.

The search continued for more than an hour before deputies found Virta hiding in a swampy area in Mud Creek. He was taken into custody without further incident, and no injuries were reported.

Getting back proved a little easier than getting there.

ALEA Marine Patrol transported Virta and the deputies back across the water by boat.

“And yes, we had time to take a quick photo while waiting for a boat to pick up our deputies,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a comment on its Facebook post. “Taking the boat was much safer and more practical than walking back through the water and swamp the way we came.”

Virta was wanted in Floyd County on warrants related to a probation violation, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and terroristic threats and acts, according to the sheriff’s office.

His trip across the lake also resulted in additional charges in Alabama. Virta was charged in Cherokee County with fugitive from justice and attempting to elude.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Leesburg Police Department and Cedar Bluff Police Department for assisting in the pursuit and arrest.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].