COLUMBUS, Kan. —
Jimmy Dale Sluder, who escaped Sunday from the Cherokee County Jail, was arrested Tuesday night in a Pittsburg apartment.
Sluder also is suspected of a residential burglary in Columbus after he escaped.
The arrest was made at 7:37 p.m. by officers with the Pittsburg Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department. Sluder was found in the bathroom of an apartment.
Sheriff David Groves said one of the many people investigators had interviewed about Sluder’s escape informed the Sheriff’s Department of his whereabouts.
Sluder is suspected of breaking into a Columbus house Tuesday afternoon, tying up the homeowner, and leaving with a vehicle and other property. The homeowner wasn’t injured, and was able to free himself in short order and notify authorities.
Originally in jail on theft charges, Sluder was part of an inmate work program when he was taking out trash under supervision about 3 a.m. Sunday. He ran away.
It was the first escape in several years, since the current jail building opened in 2005.
Groves said the inmate work program has been suspended until policies and procedures can be reviewed. He said it’s a useful program, providing inmates with something to do, and providing the county and area communities with free labor. He said inmates have assisted without incident in cleaning up trash from ditches, taking down equipment at the Galena Days festival and installing fencing at the Baxter Springs rodeo grounds.
He said he can’t say yet if all policies and procedures were followed early Sunday, but if they were, the policies failed.
“We will certainly review this incident,” Groves said. “I take this responsibility pretty seriously — to keep the inmates in custody — and we obviously failed in this instance.”
Crime & Courts
Cherokee County escapee arrested in Pittsburg
- Crime & Courts
-
-
Arma mother facing murder charge in sleeping baby’s death
Heather Buckalew fell asleep on a couch with her 4-month-old baby after a night last summer drinking beer with her boyfriend. The boyfriend, Donald Harvey, got up to go to work a few hours later and spotted his son, lying face down on a pillow between the back of the couch and his sleeping mother.
-
Vandals cause $37,000 in damage at Joplin business
A Joplin business owner was the victim of a weekend vandalism spree that resulted in an estimated $37,000 in damages and theft, in addition to putting the company out of service for at least two days.
-
Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
-
Firefighters douse blaze inside wall; no injuries cited
The Joplin Fire Department used thermal-imaging equipment Wednesday night to detect a hidden fire inside a residence.
-
Exeter resident hurt in accident in Barry County
An Exeter resident was injured in a single-vehicle accident at 2:15 p.m. Thursday on Missouri Highway 76, two miles west of Exeter in Barry County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
-
Pittsburg couple arrested; children taken out of home
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A Pittsburg couple was arrested and their three children removed from their care Wednesday when narcotics officers allegedly seized marijuana, methamphetamine and other items in a search of their home.
-
Joplin man arrested on felony charge of past sexual abuse
A 16-year-old girl’s recent disclosures to her mother regarding past sexual abuse has led to the arrest and charging of a Joplin man.
-
Identity-theft victim jailed on culprit’s warrant
Kurt Millard spent most of last weekend in the Jasper County Jail, locked up on another man’s arrest warrant. The 26-year-old Joplin resident could not convince his jailers they had the wrong guy. “I got the run-around the whole weekend,” Millard told the Globe. “I didn’t even get to wish my mother a happy Mother’s Day.”
-
Attorney general files suit against California contractor
Attorney General Chris Koster on Thursday filed a lawsuit against a California man, alleging he failed to provide construction materials and home repair services that had been paid for by victims of the Joplin tornado.
-
Pierce City man hurt in accident in Barry County
A Pierce City man was injured in a single-vehicle accident at 7 a.m. Wednesday on Missouri Highway 248, two miles west of Jenkins in Barry County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
- More Crime & Courts Headlines
-
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God'
Slow Pokes: Acupuncture Helps Sick Turtles
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
Former IRS Chief: Can't Say How List Happened
Gov. Fallin: Okla. Facing Horrific Disaster
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
