NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Helicopters and law enforcement with canines scoured rough terrain Thursday as part of a widening manhunt for a suspect who fatally shot a veteran Tennessee sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop. The suspect — earlier identified as Steven Joshua Wiggins, a 31-year-old white man with balding brown hair — has been on the run since early Wednesday, when he killed Dickson County sheriff's Sgt. Daniel Baker, investigators said. "We want people to know there's an urgent and immediate threat to public safety," Dickson County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe said at a news conference Thursday morning. He said investigators haven't narrowed down where he may be, and cautioned local residents to be cautious because he could still be armed and looking for a place to hide out. A $12,500 reward was issued to help find Wiggins. The sheriff added that he hoped "our court will be a terror to him for the evil he has done." Baker on Wednesday was responding to a call about a suspicious car, then couldn't be contacted for some time, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Susan Niland said at an earlier news conference. The deputy's car was tracked by GPS to a location 2 or 3 miles away, and the deputy was found dead inside of it. Steven Wiggins Tennessee Bureau of Investigation / AP "He has the option to do the right thing," Bledsoe said Wednesday. "People make mistakes and people do things that are terrible, and this is an evil deed that he has done. But now he can show people that there's still something left in him by turning himself in." Bledsoe also said Wiggins needs to be held accountable, and said he wants the maximum penalty the law will allow. The sheriff said Baker was one of the department's best, a supervisor who had worked his way up to sergeant on patrol during his 10-year stint with the office. He is survived by his wife and daughter. Bledsoe said his agency has lost a brother, and the community has lost a hero. "Our heart's shattered with this," he said. Wiggins was identified as the suspect from video footage, Niland said. He was already wanted on charges that he assaulted a woman and stole her car when he was pulled over Wednesday, according to a report from the Kingston Springs Police Department. NEW: She was detained earlier today, but TBI has now arrested and charged this Dickson woman with First Degree Murder in the ongoing investigation into the death of Sgt. Daniel Baker. MORE: https://t.co/iYd0M0DR6u pic.twitter.com/ORaTeePofG — TBI (@TBInvestigation) May 31, 2018 The woman, Ericka Miles-Castro, was arrested and charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in connection with Baker's death. The report said Miles-Castro told police early Tuesday that Wiggins had slapped her in the face and pulled out some of her hair, then put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her if she called police. She said he then grabbed her keys and took her car without her permission. At the time of the report, Miles-Castro, 38, told police Wiggins was "doing meth all night and smoking marijuana." She told police she planned to press charges, the report said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release Wednesday that during the course of the investigation, authorities developed that she had "participated in the incident." She is being detained at the Dickson County Jail. It is not immediately known if she has an attorney.<doc-sep>A manhunt got underway Wednesday morning after a deputy was shot and killed in Dickson County. The suspect has been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted list. Officials confirmed the incident happened after a neighbor reported seeing a suspicious vehicle around 7 a.m. Sergeant Daniel Baker responded to the call but after a period of time, dispatch lost contact with him -- that prompted officials to track his cruiser using GPS navigation to an area a few miles away from the initial scene. An officer with another agency found the deputy's car about 2-3 miles away. He was found deceased inside the car. Sheriff Says They 'Lost A Hero' When Deputy Was Killed TBI spokesperson Susan Niland said they used video surveillance and evidence from the scene to identify 31-year-old Steven Joshua Wiggins as a suspect in the case. A Blue Alert was first issued in the case -- that's an alert used when a law enforcement officer has been killed or seriously injured in the line-of-duty. Wiggins was later added to the TBI's Most Wanted list. A woman, 38-year-old Erika Castro-Miles, who was named as his girlfriend in police reports, was detained for questioning in the case. She was later charged with murder. According to the TBI, she participated in the incident. Sky 5 flew over the scene Wednesday morning and showed the search area along a densely wooded area near Bear Creek Valley Road and Tidwell Switch Road. The suspect does have a prior criminal history, including arrests for aggravated assault and misdemeanor vandalism. Suspect In Fatal Deputy Shooting Had Lengthy Criminal Past On Tuesday, Wiggins was charged with aggravated assault and vehicle theft in Kingston Springs. According to a police report, officers were called to a residence on Luyben Hills Road after a woman, who was identified in the report as Castro-Miles, was assaulted. Wiggins allegedly slapped the her and pulled out her hair before saying he would kill her if she called police. He then fled in her car, the report said. In the report, Castro-Miles told police Wiggins had been "doing meth all night" and smoking marijuana. Residents in the area should remain vigilant. Wiggings is considered armed and dangerous. He's said to be 6'1" tall and weighs 220 pounds. A reward of $12,500 was offered for his arrest from the TBI and US Marshals Service. That reward was increased to $15,000 with an additional $2,500 announced by Governor Bill Haslam on Thursday. Anyone who sees him should call 911 immediately.<doc-sep>Steven Wiggins is being sought in connection with the fatal shooting of a sheriff's deputy in Tennessee. (CNN) — A 911 call reporting a suspicious vehicle in rural Middle Tennessee ended with the slaying of Dickson County sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Daniel Baker. Late Wednesday, Erika Castro-Miles, 38, was charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection with the death, and the manhunt for another suspect continued into early Thursday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. Investigators said Castro-Miles “participated” in Wednesday morning’s fatal shooting of Baker but did not release any more details. Baker, 32, a 10-year law enforcement veteran, had responded to a resident’s call about a suspicious vehicle about 7 a.m. in Dickson County, about 40 miles west of Nashville, said Susan Niland, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee agency. After a period of not being able to contact the deputy, authorities tracked down Baker’s vehicle with GPS in a wooded area about 2 miles from the location of the initial call by an officer from another agency. Baker was found dead in his vehicle. NEW: She was detained earlier today, but TBI has now arrested and charged this Dickson woman with First Degree Murder in the ongoing investigation into the death of Sgt. Daniel Baker. MORE: https://t.co/iYd0M0DR6u pic.twitter.com/ORaTeePofG — Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) May 31, 2018 Reward offered in suspect’s capture Authorities said the search for Wiggins, who has a history of violent crimes, continued Thursday along swaths of Dickson County. The manhunt involved US marshals as well as local canine and aviation units. NEW PICTURE: Here's a more recent photograph of Steven Wiggins, from a 2017 arrest in Williamson County. pic.twitter.com/qDSMgKBNMN — Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) May 30, 2018 Wiggins, 31, who was last seen wearing a black polo shirt and jeans, was identified from surveillance video and information collected at the scene, Niland said. “You can see what can transpire from something that we think is just a suspicious vehicle,” an emotional Bledsoe said earlier. Wiggins has been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s 10 most-wanted list. A reward for information leading to Wiggins’ capture on Thursday grew to $46,000 after contributions from Gov. Bill Haslam, federal law enforcement agencies and police associations from various cities. Wiggins and Castro-Miles were identified as acquaintances, according to the Tennessee agency. A ‘faithful servant’ Baker joined the sheriff’s office full time in 2008 and became a member of the special operations unit in 2013, according to the sheriff. He was married with a daughter. “There’s not much I can say today other than our hearts are shattered,” Bledsoe said. “This is one of our best deputies. He’s a supervisor. He’s worked his way up to sergeant on patrol. He’s one of the guys who puts it on the line every day to keep our community safe.” Dickson County Sheriff's Office Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Daniel Bake was slain Wednesday in Dickson County, Tennessee, near Nashville. A friend of Baker’s set up a GoFundMe page for the family of the slain deputy, who had recently purchased a home. Bledsoe had a message for Wiggins: “If he is listening or anyone listening that knows him, that can talk some sense into him that he will turn himself in, that’s what he needs to do.” In a statement to CNN affiliate WZTV in Nashville, Baker’s mother, Veronica Bryan, described her son as a kind and compassionate young man. “He loved his family, and adored his wife and daughter,” the statement said. “He loved the outdoors, fishing and hunting. He served his country in the Marines and came home to serve his community. He was a faithful servant to all.”<doc-sep>
DICKSON, Tenn. -- A manhunt is underway in central Tennessee after a deputy was shot and killed Wednesday morning, reports CBS affiliate WTVF. The incident happened in Dickson County, west of Nashville. Officials are searching for an armed man in the area of Bear Creek Valley Road and Tidwell Switch Road, the station reports. We're issuing a Tennessee Blue Alert for Steven Wiggins, the person-of-interest in the shooting death of a Dickson County sheriff's deputy. He is believed to be armed and dangerous. Spot him? Call 911! pic.twitter.com/Aj8oxy06hd — TBI (@TBInvestigation) May 30, 2018 Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Susan Niland said investigators used video surveillance to identify 31-year-old Steven Joshua Wiggins as the person being sought in the case. Officials confirmed a neighbor reported seeing a suspicious vehicle around 7 a.m. Wednesday and a Dickson County deputy responded, Niland said. After a period of time, there was no contact with the deputy which prompted officials to track his patrol car using GPS navigation. An officer with another agency found the deputy's car about two to three miles away, Niland said. The deputy was found dead inside. He was later identified as Sgt. Daniel Scott Baker. "Our hearts are shattered by this" - Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe on the shooting death of his beloved deputy this morning. Keep this department in your thoughts today. pic.twitter.com/3LfWNJz7gG — Chris Conte (@chrisconte) May 30, 2018 A female is currently being interviewed, Niland said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation tweeted Wednesday that it has placed Wiggins on its Top 10 Most Wanted list and is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. The agency also has sent an alert to cellphones in the area. Dickson County Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe cried as he asked the community for help in locating Wiggins, saying "our hearts are shattered with this." Bledsoe described the slain deputy as "one of our best" who worked his way up in the department to become a patrol sergeant. Bledsoe said Baker was a 10-year veteran of the department who also served in the Marine Corps Reserve. He said the deputy leaves behind a wife and a daughter. "Not only has our agency lost a brother, but our community has lost a hero," Bledsoe said. Here’s the area where authorities are searching for Steve Wiggins. He was last seen running across a field after allegedly killing a deputy this morning pic.twitter.com/pSjqcIVuXK — Chris Conte (@chrisconte) May 30, 2018 Speaking of Wiggins, Bledsoe said, "It is my prayer to God that our court will be a terror to him on the punishment he receives." He urged Wiggins to turn himself in. On Tuesday, Wiggins was charged with aggravated assault and vehicle theft in Kingston Springs, the station reports. According to a police report, officers were called to a home after a woman was assaulted. Wiggins allegedly slapped the victim and pulled out her hair before saying he would kill her if she called police. He then fled in her car, the report said. The victim said he'd been "doing meth all night" and smoking marijuana, the station reports. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said he should be considered armed and dangerous, and urged anyone who sees him to call 911. This is a developing story.