THOMASVILLE — It took four months to find him, but Dewayne Patrick Hall was a marked man. So were his customers.

Lawmen finally got Hall in a Coolidge tattoo case.

The Thomas County Sheriff’s Office was notified in July that Dewayne Patrick Hall had tattooed two people under the age of 18 without parental consent — in violation of Georgia law.

“He had represented himself as a tattoo artist, that he was working for a local business and had a permit under that business,” said Lt. Tim Watkins, sheriff’s office chief investigator.

Four months ago, the Thomasville tattoo business Hall said he represented filed a complaint with the sheriff’s office, saying the Coolidge man was representing himself as an employee.

“He was actually doing the tattoos out of his house,” Watkins said.

A state health agency had an issue with the illegal tattoo practice and told Hall in June to stop the activity.

The search for Hall began in July, but he avoided arrest.

The sheriff’s office enlisted assistance from Coolidge police, but Hall never was at home when lawmen attempted to arrest him.

On Nov. 12, Hall was arrested at his 3069 E. Verbena Ave. Coolidge residence.

The suspect, 26, is charged with two counts of tattooing an individual under the age of 18. He was released from the Thomas county Jail on a $1,100 bond.

Watkins said Hall tattooed a rose on one of the juveniles and a name on the other.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820.