‘I thank God;’ Grandmother overjoyed person of interest in granddaughter’s death is behind bars

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The subject of a manhunt after being identified as a person of interest in the death of a local 15-year-old is now in custody.

Tommy Moreland, 29, of Dayton, turned himself in this morning to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and was booked into the Montgomery County Jail.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Person of interest in local 15-year-old girl’s death turns himself in

Moreland was previously named a person of interest in the “rolling shootout” that killed Heaven Washington in Harrison Twp.

“If he would not have turned himself in and we located him, there’s all kinds of things that could always happen,” Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell. “Whether its another pursuit, pursuits are always dangerous, or something else. It’s just always better that it turns out this way.

As News Center 7 previously reported, Moreland is accused of leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase on the day of the shooting. He later abandoned the SUV he was in.

>> RELATED: Person of interest in death of local teen led detectives on 100 mph chase, court records say

Since turning himself in, Moreland has not been cooperative with investigators. Streck said he’s refused to talk to detectives.

But Heaven’s grandmother, Alice Washington, told Campbell she’s overjoyed that Moreland is behind bars.

“I am happy. I thank God, I’ve been praying and praying, and asking God to bring him to justice,” Alice said Tuesday.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘She was a sweet child;’ Grandmother of local teen killed in shootout wants answers about her death

Streck said he’s happy that the hours looking for this murder suspect in a case that had the community on edge is over.

“The murder of anybody is a tragedy, but when it’s an innocent 15-year-old that was on her way to school to go on a field trip, it really heightens the level for my detectives and everybody involved,” he said.

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