Harnett County sheriff's deputies captured a Cameron man Wednesday wanted for a string of felonies in several counties, including Moore.

Moore County sheriff's deputies had been searching for Eric Wayne Callahan in the Mount Pleasant area with help from the State Highway Patrol, the Harnett County Sheriff's Office and the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

Callahan, 27, had eluded officers several times by jumping out of vehicles and escaping on foot. He is being held in the Harnett County Jail on a $275,000 bond. He had been wanted on several felony charges in Harnett, Lee, Chatham and Moore counties. The charges include robbery, larceny of a motor vehicle and fleeing to elude arrest.

Officers say that Callahan had been on a spree since last Friday, when Harnett County deputies chased him along N.C. 27 and N.C. 87. During the chase, three patrol cars were damaged. Callahan escaped.

Harnett County deputies searched for him throughout the weekend.

On Monday, an off-duty deputy spotted Callahan at a store in the Why Not community, according to Capt. Jeff Medlin of the Moore County Sheriff's Office. The deputy knew that Callahan was wanted for stealing a cash register from a store in Chatham County, Medlin said.

Callahan ran when the deputy approached him, Medlin said, and sped off in a stolen car. Later that day, deputies received a report of a car theft on Tarry Church Road. They found the stolen car from Harnett County abandoned nearby, Medlin said.

While most deputies were searching the northern part of Moore County on Tuesday, Callahan was spotted at about 4 p.m. in the Lobelia area right in front of the Crains Creek Fire Department. Deputies gave chase and Callahan eventually wrecked the car and fled on foot.

Deputies used dogs and a State Highway Patrol helicopter to search the Riverbend area in the Mount Pleasant community.

After a report of a break-in and vehicle theft, deputies again spotted Callahan driving a stolen car. They chased him until he wrecked and yet again escaped on foot. They pursued him with dogs and a helicopter but lost the trail, Medlin said.

Harnett County deputies finally picked him up Wednesday at a residence in Harnett County. He had apparently stolen a van, Medlin said.

"He's been busy," Medlin said Thursday. "We haven't had a lot of sleep in the last several days."

Medlin said Callahan has cases pending from previous arrests.

"He has a history of doing something like this," he said. "It goes on and on."

Moore County deputies are still working on the charges that will be lodged against Callahan, Medlin said. He is expected to be charged with stealing two vehicles, a break-in, possession of a stolen vehicle and fleeing to elude arrest. Medlin said he has no idea the total number of charges Callahan will be facing.

"I'd have to get out a calculator to figure that out," he said.

There is some confusion as to how to spell Callahan's last name. A previous article spelled it "Callihan." The Sheriff's Office said that he is in their system both ways, but that the correct spelling is believed to be "Callahan."

Contact Matthew Moriarty at 693-2479 or by e-mail at moriarty@thepilot.com.