OCILLA — A weekend search for missing Irwin County teacher Tara Grinstead was marred by conflict after an incident between law enforcement and searchers.

On Saturday, nearly 30 searchers went out to an area around Green Road to search about 100 acres of land after search officials received a tip about a truck seen speeding down the road the night of Grinstead’s disappearance.

“We had permission of the land owners on that road to search the property out there to look for Tara,” search leader and Grinstead’s brother-in-law, Dr. Larry Gattis, said. “All of their permission except for one and that was the Harpers’.”

Marcus Harper, a former police officer, war veteran and reported boyfriend of Grinstead, has been the subject of gossip and rumor since the search began. It was his mother’s land near which the searchers were looking Saturday and it was she who called law enforcement.

“She called saying that she felt uncomfortable with all of the people out there,” Sheriff Donnie Youghn said. “So I told her I’d come out Sunday and make sure she wasn’t being harassed like she was saying.”

On Sunday the searchers returned to look primarily on the land of Betty Mixon, who said that an old house and well on her property hadn’t been searched yet and she thought they needed to check it out.

“I asked the fire chief, look, you got all this territory out here and you can show it to them and for right now it would be best not to drive out and around in front of that house,” Youghn said. “There were other ways that they could go to the search area.”

Ronnie Courson, a searcher, was looking for his aunt Sonya Popkin after she got separated from the group. He went down the road while Youghn was parked at Harper’s house.

“I came to the intersection of Green and Althea and looked behind me and only saw a bunch of dust. When the dust settled I saw the sheriff with his blue lights on so I pulled over and got off my four-wheeler,” Courson said.

Courson said that he walked up to the vehicle and was met with a hostile attitude and threats of jail time if he didn’t stay off the road.

“He told me that he would do whatever it takes to protect the Harpers,” Courson said.

Youghn has a different recollection.

“I told him that if y’all don’t mind, out of respect for me, I would appreciate it so much if y’all wouldn’t drive in front of that house,” Youghn said. “Mark knows all the territory and he’ll help you get around. And that was it.”

While the searchers were canvassing the area, they reported hearing gunshots — as many as a hundred over an hour period — near the Harper property.

Searchers also reportedly saw a person they said looked like Marcus Harper walking a large red dog and carrying a “AK-47” type rifle.

The friction between the searchers and law enforcement has threatened to further complicate an already complicated issue.

“I’ll tell you what,” Yaughn said. “If they’ll lie on me then about threatening to lock them up, and and they’ll lie about Marcus shooting the gun, then it makes you question in your mind what intentions they have,” Yaughn said.

“They’ll turn on you like a pit of rattlesnakes.”

Despite the conflict, Gattis said that there were several potential finds that could be helpful in the investigation, but wouldn’t elaborate because of the ongoing investigation.