Authorities recaptured two inmates Tuesday morning after they escaped from a northeast Arkansas jail and evaded police in the woods for nearly 24 hours, officials said.
The Cross County sheriff’s office said Greg Farmer, 40, and Austin Dooley, 28, broke free of the detention center through a drain pipe early Monday morning with the help of two others who police later arrested.
Sheriff David West said in a statement that Farmer and Dooley fled into the woods near the jail. Police arrested them around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday following a foot chase near County Road 747.
Both men had been at the jail for felony charges.
Second Judicial District prosecutor Scott Ellington said a Poinsett County judge revoked Farmer’s probation stemming from a 2016 battery and false imprisonment conviction. She sentenced him to 15 years in prison on Tuesday for not following the terms of his conviction.
Farmer was in the Cross County jail awaiting pending rape charges, as well as kidnapping, witness intimidation and attempted murder.
Dooley had been at the jail for a drug-related charge and several driving infractions.
State, local and federal law enforcement agencies helped with the search and set up a perimeter in the woods, West said.
Police also arrested two people accused of helping the men escape.
Authorities said they’ve charged 33-year-old Stephanie Henderson and 40-year-old Carl Ellis with three felonies stemming from their alleged role in the escape.
Cross County Capt. Jeff Nichols said Ellis climbed to the jail's roof and broke a pipe that the inmates crawled through. He said Henderson acted as the getaway driver.
Each charge they face carries up to 10 years in prison and hefty fines.
West said deputies brought Farmer and Dooley back to jail where they remained Tuesday afternoon along with Henderson and Ellis. A jail roster didn't show whether their bond had been set.
Online court records didn’t list attorneys representing them to comment on the charges.