Arkansas State Police announced on Thursday that they have apprehended a man from Alabama who was wanted in connection with homicides that took place in Alabama and Oklahoma. The search for the suspect had been ongoing across multiple southern states before he was finally caught in Arkansas.
State police have reported that Stacy Lee Drake, 50, was apprehended around 10 a.m. while in a wooded area in Morrilton. The agency stated that he was taken into custody smoothly, without any incident.
According to the Arkansas State Police, Drake is being sought in relation to homicides and carjackings. In addition to these charges, there are also outstanding felony warrants from various jurisdictions, including aggravated robbery, carjacking, and murder.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, a business near Gans, Oklahoma, located near the Arkansas state line, was the site of a tragic discovery where a man and a woman were found dead. The agency confirmed that both victims had sustained injuries consistent with homicide and named Drake as a person of interest in the case.
Initially, Arkansas authorities stated that Drake was a suspect in three homicides in Oklahoma. However, according to OSBI spokesperson Hunter McKee, it has been confirmed that Drake is only linked to the two homicides that occurred in the Gans area.
McKee stated that they are still conducting an investigation into any other possible involvement of the suspect, but clarified that Drake was not wanted for any other murders in Oklahoma.
According to OSBI, the state medical examiner has received the bodies of the two victims in order to identify them and investigate the cause of their deaths.
According to the jail’s administrator, Drake was held in the Conway County Detention Center in Arkansas, with his last known address in Birmingham, Alabama. An extradition hearing was scheduled for Friday morning, although it was not immediately clear if Drake had legal representation.
According to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Drake is facing accusations of killing Russell Andrews on May 14 in Alabama. Captain Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit confirmed that there is currently a warrant out for Drake’s arrest on a murder charge. Reports from various news outlets indicate that Andrews, who was 62 years old, was discovered deceased inside the Alcoholics Anonymous building.
According to Tuscaloosa authorities, Andrews’ car was stolen at the time of his death. Later on, security cameras captured the vehicle traveling along an interstate near the Arkansas-Oklahoma border.
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