Four other people were arrested along with the main suspect. (Representational Pic)
In an attempt to throw the police off his trail, a man in Florida placed a sign outside his house, bearing the words: "Johnny Yates does NOT live here!!" However, his efforts proved futile. Mr Yates, aged 41, faced charges of aggravated battery, false imprisonment, and tampering, prompting the pursuit by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, which eventually led to his arrest, the New York Post said.
Deputies arrived at his Lakeland residence on a Saturday around 2:45 pm, acting on a tip that he was holed up there, the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.
"When the deputies arrived they noticed a note written on a dry-erase board in front of a window that said, 'Johnny Yates does NOT live here!!' Gee... a dry-erase board never lied to us before - should we believe it?" the Post said the Sheriff's office as saying in the post, which has been shared with a small group of people.
"Enough was enough, and the 'Surrender Smoke' was dispensed inside the house, and four people exited the home, but no Johnny," it further said.
"Deputies called out some more, but still no response from Johnny, so a second helping of 'Surrender Smoke' was put inside the home to waft around a bit."
The authorities said they entered the house and located Mr Yates with the help of a canine unit. He was hiding in a modified chest of drawers, the shweriff's office said.
They also dealt with four other people who were living in the house along with Mr Yates, said the Post.
"In regards to the four people who weren't cooperating with deputies, each one received a parting gift: a charge of resisting and an all-expense paid trip to Grady Judd's (the name of the sheriff) Bed & Breakfast," they added.