MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — A Baldwin County grand jury has indicted a 52-year-old Milledgeville man on multiple criminal charges stemming from the June robbery of the branch office of Century Bank & Trust at 1800 North Columbia Street in Milledgeville.

The 11-count indictment was handed down by grand jurors against Arthur James Shackelford last Tuesday, according to court records released by Baldwin County Superior Court Chief Deputy Clerk Kimberly Brown to The Union-Recorder last week.

Shackleford was indicted on three counts of aggravated assault, four counts of armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, criminal use of an article with an altered identification marking, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Shackleford is accused of walking into the bank’s branch office on Wednesday, June 27, shortly after 1 p.m. and robbing a teller of an undisclosed amount of cash, local authorities said.

The suspect, now known as a defendant since he has been indicted by a grand jury, ran across the rear parking lot of the bank and into a larger parking lot in a nearby shopping center, anchored by a Food Depot grocery store. There, he reportedly hijacked a car from a local couple who were placing groceries into the vehicle, authorities said.

After stealing the tan Toyota Corolla, Shackelford reportedly drove off at what authorities said was a high-rate of speed through the shopping center parking lot.

By that time, local authorities, including officers and detectives with the Milledgeville Police Department, as well as deputies and detectives with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, had been made aware of the bank robbery and were looking for the suspect.

A short time later, Deputy Sgt. Shawn Tapley spotted the Shackelford as he turned to leave out of the parking lot of the shopping center at Checker’s eatery.

Tapley positively identified the man driving the car as the bank robbery suspect based on a physical description given to authorities following the crime.

In an incident report obtained by The Union-Recorder the next day, Tapley said he immediately turned his patrol car around in an attempt to catch up with the suspect in the stolen car.

Tapley said he saw the suspect pass several vehicles before he could catch up with him.

At the same time, Deputy Lt. Chris Spires, who is assigned to the U.S. Marshal’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, happened to be in the area, although he was not reportedly involved in the chase.

The deputy said Shackelford crossed over into oncoming traffic along portions of North Columbia Street and sped up in an attempt to get away.

At the time of the chase, the main roadway was “very congested,” Tapley said, so he followed the suspect in the stolen car with caution out of concerns for the motoring public.

The chase ended a short time later as it got to the intersection of North Columbia Street and Lakeside Drive, Tapley said.

The deputy said several patrol cars from the Milledgeville Police Department turned around and then took over the chase.

The suspect continued his attempt to elude law enforcement officers, as he drove into the heart of downtown Milledgeville.

Shackelford later parked the car downtown and walked into the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

While Shackelford was getting some water to drink from the CVB staff, law enforcement authorities had learned of the suspect’s whereabouts and had surrounded the building. When he later walked out outside, authorities immediately took him into custody.

He was taken to the Baldwin County Law Enforcement Center where he currently sits in a jail cell without bond awaiting a trial date.