A multi-state manhunt for an Arkansas prison escapee has ended near Jay in Santa Rosa County with the arrest of a prison escapee, the woman who allegedly helped him and two other people.
Sheriff's officials say Derrick Estell and Tamara Upshaw were captured at the intersection of Hwy 182 and Chumuckla Hwy. Estell was being held on 26 charges to include burglary, theft, and drug-related crimes. He was said to be armed and extremely dangerous.
According to information provided by the Garland County Sheriff's Office this morning, the pair were located with the help of "cooperating individuals" who helped officials pinpoint their location near Jay in Northern Santa Rosa County. This information was obtained by Garland County Sheriff's Investigators Russ Severns and Terry Threadgill. Officials in Milton were contacted and along with the U.S. Marshal's Task Force, and the FBI captured Estell and Upshaw without incident at a residence near Jay.
Two more people were arrested "for their involvement in the escape and are awaiting court" according ot Sheriff Larry Sanders. It is not known if additional arrests will take place.
Mulitple news accounts from Arkansas say Estell escaped on July 28 with help from his mother, Glenda Estell, who has been arrested and charged in the escape. A video from inside the prison shows Derrick Estell on the telephone sitting on the floor, and then suddenly dropping the phone, disappearing out of view and then sliding through an open countertop window and to the floor. He begins running from the prison and an outside video shows a guard chasing him across the parking lot.
Officials in Arkansas reported to local media there that Estell jumped into a car owned by another inmate, who they say helped with the escape, and driven by Upshaw. The car was found, but Estell and Upshaw were missing.
A manhunt covering multiple states has been ongoing since the escape. It was reported that Estell was likely hiding in the area of Springfield, Missouri.
Sanders says, "The Sheriff’s Department would like to thank Kyle Heidler with the Dallas County Missouri Sheriff’s Department, Missouri Information Analysis Center, Special Agent Scott Falls with the FBI in Little Rock, Special Agent Sgt. Dennis Morris with the Arkansas State Police, US Forest Service, Nebraska State Police, and all other agencies involved for their assistance."
Additional details on the arrest are pending.
Video link to escape: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQpLjNDF9vY&feature=player_embedded
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Video Link – UPDATE: Arkansa Sheriff says two more arrested in capture