Walkaway prisoner captured
Ponca City Now - March 13, 2019 11:01 am
ATOKA, Okla. — Oklahoma Department of Corrections Fugitive Apprehension and Investigations agents located Howard McLeod Correctional Center walkaway James E. Smith around 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Smith, 39, was discovered missing from the minimum-security prison for men around 7:50 p.m. Monday. He was located about 6 miles away from the facility in a rural area Tuesday.
When he walked away, Smith was serving several Stephens County sentences for armed robbery, firearms possession and escape after lawful arrest.
HMCC security staff, area law enforcement, and ODOC agents were searching for him overnight until he was found Tuesday.
He will be returned to the facility and moved to higher security. He could also face additional charges related to his walking away.