Photo: Mark Makela / Getty Images
A convicted murderer who was on the run for more than 24 Hours after escaping from the Cullman County Jail, was taken into custody Friday, after a citizen found him and held him at gunpoint until authorities arrived. .
Leo Santiago Chávez, a dangerous criminal who is serving two life sentences in an Alabama prison for the murder of his parents, and who had escaped from jail with other inmates, has already been recaptured, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Chávez was recaptured in the Hanceville area, the authorities announced shortly before 7: 30 pm Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry confirmed that a citizen arrested at gunpoint in the Arkadelphia Road area.
Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry with firms that a citizen held escaped killer Leo Chavez at gunpoint until police arrived to his location in Hanceville.
https://t.co/ BWh0JsHvfL pic.twitter.com/RY1htCfV000– carol robinson (@RobinsonCarol) March 24, 2021
The four inmates, Leo Santiago Chávez, 20, Robert Alan Peak, Tyler Dooley and Justin Long , escaped around 6: 33 pm on Thursday. The Cullman County Detention Center was holding Chavez while awaiting transfer to the state prison.
Law enforcement officers had been deployed to several Alabama counties during the search for the convicted killer who, along with three other inmates, escaped from the Cullman County Jail Thursday night, reported AL.com .
How was the leak
As Sheriff Matt Gentry told The Cullman Times , the inmates escaped through a vent next to the showers.
Making their way through the building, they encountered a brick and metal wall and managed to kick their way through and jump from the second floor. Gentry said one of the inmates, Justin Long, broke his foot during the jump.
US Marshals have offered at $ 5, 000 reward for information that leads to the recapture of Leo Chavez and Sheriff Matt Gentry on Friday announced he would match that so the reward stands at $ 10, 000. https://t.co/BWh0JsHvfL
– carol robinson (@RobinsonCarol) March 19, 2021
“They have the 24 hours a day, seven days a week to think about how to try to do something to get out, ”said Gentry.
A nearby resident saw the four men crossing the parking lot and within minutes after their escape had called 911.
Officers and Cullman Police Department officers established a perimeter in the area while officers inside the facility conducted a count.
“We can’t thank the community enough for their hard work on this case,” Gentry said. “Three minutes after his escape, we received calls to 911 from residents.”
By the early hours of Friday morning, everyone except Chávez was back in custody.
Agents from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), various sheriff’s offices and police departments, and the United States Marshall Service were involved in the search. of escaped prisoners. Finally, Chávez was arrested a few hours later on Friday.
Chávez was convicted of the murder of his parents in 2017 and sentenced just two months ago to two consecutive life sentences. He was 17 years old at the time of murder of his parents, according to The Associated Press.
“Every time someone gets away with those convictions, it’s very concerning,” Sheriff Matt Gentry said Friday, “and we won’t stop until we catch him.”