UPDATE: Jordan Spates pleads not guilty

Updated: November 21, 2017, 1:40 p.m.

UPDATE: ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Jordan Spates appeared in court Tuesday morning.

The Winnebago County State's Attorney's Office says Spates was arraigned and plead not guilty to shooting deputy Stephen Wright in September.

Spates will have a status hearing on December 20.

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Updated: November 1, 2017, 3:15

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - The man accused of shooting Winnebago County Sheriff's deputy Stephen Wright returns to the stateline.

27-year-old Jordan Spates made his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.

Police took Spates into custody in Lawrenceville, Georgia on October 7. Investigators say Spates allegedly shot Wright during a traffic stop back in September.

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Updated: October 7, 2017

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) -- Jordan Spates, the man who was wanted for shooting a Winnebago County Sheriff's Deputy on September 23rd has been located and taken into custody Saturday afternoon in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Winnebago County Sheriff's Detectives and TAC Team members say they developed information about the possible location of Spates by reaching out for assistance from the Rockford FBI Office. The FBI Office says they obtained an Unlawful Flight to Avoid Apprehension warrant, and in turn received assistance from the Atlanta FBI.

The Department says Atlanta FBI, along with the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Police, Atlanta Police Department, and Atlanta Violent Fugitive Unit set up surveillance in the suspected area. Officials say after many hours of surveillance, those agencies were able to locate Spates in Lawrenceville, Georgia, which is a suburb of Atlanta.

The Department says the CLEO Atwater SWAT team and Gwinnett County Sheriff's SWAT team executed a search warrant on the residence in which Spates was observed. Spates was taken into custody without incident around 12:45 p.m. Saturday.

Sheriff Gary Caruana says he would like to express his appreciation of all the hard work of the Winnebago County Detectives and TAC Team members who work endless hours the past three weeks. The Sheriff also expresses his gratitude to the Rockford FBI and the Atlanta area law enforcement officials that aided in the apprehension of Spates.

Spates will be in the Gwinnett County Jail awaiting extradition to Rockford, Illinois.

The Sheriff anticipates further arrests in the near future for the person or people who may have aided in Spates' flight

Updated September 29, 2017

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – The reward for information regarding Jordan Spates has increased again to $15,000.

The Rockford Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation are also teaming up with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s office to increase the reward for information about the whereabouts of Jordan Spates to $15,000. Sheriff Gary Caruana expresses his thanks to all the organizations for their reward offers.

Spates is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Jordan Spates should call the sheriff’s department at 815-282-2600 or Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.

Updated September 29, 2017

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) -- The reward for information leading to the arrest of Jordan Spates, wanted for shooting a Winnebago County sheriff’s deputy, has been increased to $5,000.

This increase comes from a partnership among the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 50, Rockford Police Benevolent and Protective Association Unit 6, the Rockford Police Relief Association, Crime Stoppers, and SAFE. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Jordan Spates should call the sheriff’s department at 815-282-2600 or Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.

Updated September 26, 2017

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Around 1:30 Saturday morning, Sheriff’s Deputy Stephen Wright was trying to stop a vehicle driving on Springfield Avenue near Prairie Road. The suspect got out of the car and started running. While he was running, he shot Deputy Wright and injured him.

Police are asking for any help in finding 27-year old Jordan D. Spates of Rockford. Spates is wanted on a firearm warrant for shooting Sheriff’s Deputy Stephen Wright. Officers say they are considering Spates to be armed and dangerous. Rockford Area Crimestoppers has teamed up with Secure Active Family Environment or S.A.F.E. They are together offering a $2,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of Jordan D. Spates.

“I would like to commend our officers, our detectives, our tag teams from the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department for their non-stop effort around the clock. They’ve been getting very, very little sleep. We will get this taken care of, and we will get Jordan Spates into custody,” says Winnebago County Sheriff, Gary Caruana.

Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputies also found narcotics in the Spates’ vehicle which is connected to a house in the 1000 block of S. Court Street in Rockford. More narcotics were found at this home. That’s where the arrest warrant for Spates was made.

Deputy Wright is an 18-month veteran of the police department and works in the Uniformed Services Bureau. His fiancée is now speaking out about what happened. She says it’s something she never thought would happen.

“I guess I had less of a fear because he did make it through Afghanistan. If you can make it through a war, then you can make it through an entire career as a police officer. I guess I kind of put him in like, almost like he was invincible,” says Wright’s fiancée.

Lindsay’s best friend has set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses for Wright and his loved ones. They’ve raised almost $6,000 for their $10,000 goal in two days. You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/helping-deputy-officer

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Updated September 25, 2017

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) -- The identity of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputy who was shot over the weekend has been identified.

On September 25, 2017 Sheriff Gary Caruana confirmed that the deputy shot was Stephen Wright. Deputy Wright is an 18-month veteran of the Police department and is assigned to work in the Uniformed Services Bureau.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s department is encouraging anyone with any information about the whereabouts of the suspect, Jordan Spates to call the department.

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Updated September 23, 2017

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) -- A suspect has been identified in the shooting involving a Winnebago County Sheriff's Deputy.

Winnebago County detectives located narcotics in the suspect vehicle and conducted a search warrant at a house in the 1000 block of S. Court Street. Detectives got an arrest warrant for the suspect of 27-year-old Jordan D. Spates of Rockford for aggravated battery to a police officer with a firearm.

Detectives found additional narcotics at the Court Street home and made an arrest for 21-year-old Jarrion J. Moore of Rockford for possession with intent to deliver cocaine, resisting arrest, Rockford arrest warrant for probation violation and Rockford arrest warrant for failure to appear.

A Winnebago County Sheriff's Deputy was pursuing to stop a fleeing vehicle on Springfield Avenue. The suspect vehicle stopped at Prairie Road when the suspect fled the scene on foot, while firing several shots at the deputy who was hit once in the back and twice in the shoulder. He was transported to a local hospital awaiting surgery. He is expected to be okay.

A manhunt took place in the area surrounding Klehm Arboretum where the suspect was seen heading towards. K9 units and air support were used to assist in the manhunt with no luck.

The Sheriff's Department says the charges against Spates and Moore are accusations and they are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department at 815-282-2600.

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) -- A Winnebago County Sheriff's Deputy is expected to be okay after authorities say he was shot during a traffic stop Saturday morning.

A search is underway for the man accused of shooting the deputy at South Main and Springfield and then running off.

The deputy is at an area hospital. He has what investigators call "non-life threatening injuries."

Anyone with information should call the Sheriff's Office at 815-319-6432.