NATCHEZ — An alleged child molester who has previously been convicted of sex crimes is behind bars in Adams County after running from law enforcement and ultimately being apprehended by federal authorities several counties away.

Marvin Louis Knight Jr., 34, is jailed on charges of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, failure to stop and submit vehicle to law enforcement and sexual battery or fondling of vulnerable persons.

He was originally booked as having a Firetower Road address in Adams County, but his information with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office currently lists him as having a Fayette address.

An ACSO spokesperson said Knight had a warrant for his arrest for an incident last summer issued after an investigation through the Child Advocacy Center in Natchez, and Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said Knight likewise had a warrant in Jefferson County for failure to register as a sex offender.

Mayfield said the ACSO received a call from someone who knew Knight had a warrant for his arrest and knew where to find him, but when they tried to apprehend the suspect, he fled in a car.

After driving down U.S. 84 and pulling onto a frontage road, Knight allegedly fled on foot into a wooded area. Mayfield said deputies covered the woods and used a dog to search for the suspect, but were unable to locate him. Because Knight was a convicted sex offender, the U.S. Marshals were contacted.

The U.S. Marshals eventually caught Knight in Hinds County and turned him over to the ACSO.

When ACSO officials impounded the car Knight was driving, they discovered two firearms and two face masks in the vehicle, ACSO spokesperson Courtney Taylor said.

The suspect’s initial bond was set at $80,000, but at a hearing Wednesday, Justice Court Judge Patricia Dunmore reduced it to $20,000.

Mayfield said because the bond had been reduced he would use his authority as sheriff to require it to be a cash bond.

“I did that because of his past record,” Mayfield said. “I deem him to be a flight risk, and I deem him to be a danger to the community. He was a convicted felon in possession of firearms. He ran from law enforcement and he had a charge against him for touching a child for lustful purposes.”

Mayfield said Knight likewise does not appear to have a fixed address, a requirement for convicted sex offenders.

Knight’s previous conviction was for sexual assault in 1998, in Dallas.