When Michael Wayne "Doogie" Hughes was arrested on July 15 after a nine-month search, several members of his family were charged with helping the man police called the New River Valley's "most wanted" remain on the run.

On the same day Hughes was arrested in connection with a rash of burglaries, his mother, two sisters and a woman police say was Hughes' girlfriend were charged with misdemeanor obstruction of justice.

On July 21, a third sister was also arrested and charged with the same offense.

All four were released on bond. But if convicted, his mother, Cathy Hughes, 51, and sisters Tabitha Hughes, 19, Amanda Dawn Hughes, 20, and Tracy Lynn Hughes, 34, face fines of up to $2,500 and up to 12 months in jail.

Phyllis "Chi Chi" Black, 32, who in a February interview said she once dated Hughes but had not had contact with him while he was on the run, faces the same charge and penalties if convicted.

Hughes was arrested as he fled the home of Tracy Lynn Hughes on Roman Drive, between Blacksburg and Christiansburg in Montgomery County, as police approached. The home had been under surveillance.

Hughes was wanted in connection with several burglaries in the New River Valley in 2004.

Hughes' arrest was a boost to local law enforcement that had been frustrated in attempts to capture him. Departments in Christiansburg, Blacksburg and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office had issued a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Officers repeatedly responded to reports of Hughes sightings only to find him gone.

The reward has not been claimed.

During the search, police believed Hughes was receiving help from friends and family.

Montgomery County Investigator Dennis Rakes, who led the search for Hughes, said Thursday that deputies are still trying to determine who helped Hughes while he was on the run.

"If we find more they will be charged," he said.

Hughes was carrying a cellphone when he was arrested and search warrant papers filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court say police found 26 phone numbers programmed into the phone and five voice messages.

Rakes said that so far the numbers in the phone have not led to any arrests.

During the long hunt for Hughes, police were able to track his cellphone's signal to local towers, leading them to believe he was still in the area.