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Oklahoma police still searching for escapees, one inmate captured

Both men who escaped a LeFlore County jail last Friday have been taken into custody.

LE FLORE COUNTY, Okla. — Two escaped Oklahoma inmates are now in the custody after escaping from the LeFlore County Detention Center.

Law enforcement in Washington County captured Jeromy Call three days after he and cellmate Jason Delao escaped the LeFlore County Detention Center.

Jeromy Call was taken into custody by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Monday, Nov. 1, ending a three-day search for the escaped inmate.

“They captured him without any incident, and they’re bringing him to the Washington county jail,” said Lt. Bret Hagan with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Call was captured south of Mount Kessler off Highway 265, more than 80 miles north of where he escaped on Friday in Poteau, Oklahoma.

Credit: Washington County Detention Center
Jeromy Call

Several agencies helped with the search, including Arkansas State Police helicopters and drones. However, deputies say they couldn’t have found call without the help from the public.

“If it wasn’t for this citizen contacting us, we probably wouldn’t be here today,” said Hagan speaking about the person who spotted Call on a game camera and called the police.

Deputies say call and cellmate Delao made their way to Northwest Arkansas after climbing out of a window Friday and stealing a Ford F-150 with guns inside.

Delao was caught Saturday, Oct. 30, at a cemetery near Appleby Rd. While Call continued to run from law enforcement and hid in the mountainous area which deputies say is not uncommon.

“But his purpose being here, their purpose being here…right now we cannot say.”

Credit: Washington County Sheriff's Office
Jeromy Call

Delao was captured in Farmington Saturday, Oct. 30, but police are still looking for Call. 

Jail staff learned that the pair were missing on Friday after Call and Delao were unaccounted for during a headcount shortly after 1 a.m.

According to LeFlore County Sheriff Rodney Derryberry, camera footage shows the men escaped out of a window. 

Sheriff Derryberry told 5NEWS the pair had dug a hole in a wall over some time and made their way into a maintenance room, where they busted out a window to escape.

The sheriff says the men stole a 2015 white Ford F150 pickup truck with Oklahoma tags BOK160. He believes there should be damage to the rear driver-side bumper.

Derryberry also says a rifle, handgun, and ammo were in the vehicle when it was stolen.

This is the second time Call has escaped. According to Derryberry, Call escaped from the Leflore County Detention Center in February of 2021 when he was being held for multiple counts of felony burglaries. Before he escaped, Call was headed to prison for the burglary charges and February escape. 

Delao had originally turned himself in at the detention center to serve a short time in jail.

As of now the charges that Call may face or if he was armed is unknown. Follow 5NEWS for more on this developing story. 

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