BOWLING GREEN, MO. -- The fifth and final escaped inmate from the Pike County, Missouri jail this weekend is back in police custody after three days on the run.
Sheriff Stephen Korte reports 40-year-old William John Thomas Wilkerson Jr, of Florissant, Missouri was arrested Tuesday in St. Louis County.
This after St. Louis County Police responded to a report of a suspicious person at an apartment complex. Wilkerson then led officers on a short foot chase before being taken in to custody.
In a press release early Wednesday morning, Sheriff Korte thanked and commended the many law enforcement agencies who assisted and offered support during the investigation.
Korte said in the release, "This has truly been a team effort. Thanks also go out to the concerned citizens who contacted law enforcement when they saw someone acting suspicious. All five escapees were apprehended because something that did not look right was reported."
The fourth inmate, Joseph A Verive, 49, was taken into custody without incident on County Road 411 less than one mile from Highway 161 in Pike County.
This after police received a report Monday morning that a man approached a rural Amish residence and said that he had escaped from jail, was thirsty, hungry and wanted a ride back to the jail. After the home owner advised the man that he had neither a telephone nor vehicle, the man, later confirmed as being Verive, left the residence headed north.
Police then received another call at 11:43 a.m. that Verive was spotted on County Road 411. He was arrested minutes later. Verive told police that he wanted to turn himself and that had not eaten since leaving the jail, according to a press release from the Pike County Sheriff's Office.
Click here to read that follow up story from KHQA.
Jacob and Jason Darnell and Emanuel Chatman were arrested in Midwest City, Okla. around 2 a.m. Monday morning.
A complaint was called into the local police that the three were asking for money near a convenience store. They were found in a 2003 black Chevy pickup. A police K9 located a meth pipe on one of the three.
Click here to read that follow up story from KHQA.
Investigators recovered the 1993 Chevy Suburban stolen by three of the inmates who escaped the Pike County, Mo. jail over the weekend, Sheriff Stephen Korte said. The sport utility vehicle was recovered in a parking garage in Jefferson City, Missouri.
A sixth man was also charged with aiding three of the men after their escape. The Pike County prosecuting attorney charged Tordale Chatman, 30, of Louisiana, Mo. with with hindering prosecution for reportedly providing transportation to the escapees from Bowling Green to the location where the 1993 Suburban was stolen. His bond has been set at $10,000 cash only.
The group escaped Saturday night after removing a tamper resistant stainless steel shower head to gain access to a service area. The group walked out of the building sometime before 10:30 p.m.
Click here for the original escape story.
"We received a phone call from a family member of an inmate stating they'd heard from other family members that he'd allegedly escaped. We immediately checked the cell block area," Sheriff Stephen Korte said.
When asked if these inmates are considered dangerous, Korte responded, "only if cornered, I believe.They're going out to lay low, they're not going out to perpetrate other crimes, but if they are located, they may do what they need to do to stay free."
Jacob Darnell was originally in the jail charged with domestic assault and possession of a controlled substance. Jason Darnell was scheduled to appear in court Monday on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender. Emanuel Chatman and Verive were originally charged with domestic assault. Finally, Wilkerson was charged with theft of anhydrous ammonia, an ingredient used in the production of methamphetamine.
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