MORRILTON, Ark. — Stacy Lee Drake was arrested in Morrilton, Ark. after a days-long manhunt, Conway County deputies confirmed on Thursday morning.
Drake is accused of four recent killings, including a double homicide at LaFerry's Propane in Sequoyah County, Okla. on the evening of Tuesday, June 18. The next morning, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) identified Drake as the suspect, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Throughout Wednesday, June 19, an alert was sent out about a manhunt for Drake. His previous known location was 125 miles east of LaFerry's Propane at a hotel in Morrilton, Arkansas. Authorities believed that he'd stayed in the area and warned the Morrilton community to call 911 immediately if they thought they'd seen him.
Arkansas State Police said Drake had stolen a car after the Sequoyah County double homicide. That vehicle had been found at a hotel in Morrilton, which was believed to be his last known location.
Throughout the day on Wednesday, surveillance camera photos were released to the public and ASP said they believed Drake had purchased camping gear.
Drake captured
Officials with the Conway County Sheriff's Office reported just after 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 20, that Drake was in custody after being arrested in Morrilton.
Arkansas State Police say he was found in a wooded area south of the Morrilton intersection of University Boulevard and Poor Farm Road, near an intermediary school.
Around 24 hours after the manhunt was announced, Drake was in custody in Morrilton. The Arkansas National Guard and the Arkansas Division of Community Correction assisted in the search.
ASP says Drake was held at the Conway County Detention Center, and officials confirm he was extradited to Sequoyah County to face the two murder charges there.
In a statement on Friday, ASP thanked the numerous law enforcement agencies that assisted in the manhunt for Drake.
“The enormous law enforcement presence in this community was a powerful deterrent, and residents were on high alert,” said ASP Colonel Mike Hagar. “If we had not taken such a collaborative, safety-focused approach, I am not certain we would have had a peaceful end.”
Nearly 24,000 people shared an ASP post warning the public about Drake, according to ASP.
“The public’s role in bringing this to a safe conclusion cannot be understated,” Col. Hagar said. “A strong response from our media partners and the vigilance of our residents almost certainly prevented additional violence."
The following agencies supported the manhunt, according to ASP:
- Department of Corrections North Central Unit K-9 Team
- Arkansas Game and Fish
- U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force
- Arkansas Army National Guard
- University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton Police
- F.B.I.
- ADEM
Officials connect Drake to 4 recent killings
Once the manhunt for Drake was announced on Wednesday, the Morrilton Police Department said he was suspected in four homicides. They said Drake had a homicide warrant out of Alabama and was tied to three total killings in Oklahoma — including the LaFerry's double homicide.
While MPD and Arkansas State Police (ASP) both mentioned Drake being suspected of three Oklahoma deaths, OSBI told 5NEWS on Wednesday that Drake is their main suspect in the double homicide at this time. "Right now, we are not connecting this person of interest with any other crime at this point, besides the double homicide in Gans," said Hunter McKee with OSBI.
However, the El Reno Police Department confirmed that the third homicide in Oklahoma tied to Drake happened on June 14. The police department is accusing Drake of killing Phillip Emerson in his residence and fleeing in Emerson's vehicle.
According to Captain Jack Kennedy with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office's (TCSO) Violent Crimes Unit (VCU), Drake is also a suspect in the death of 62-year-old Russell Andrews on May 14.
The sheriff's office confirmed Drake was in the Tuscaloosa area for a "few weeks." During this time, they said he was using a false name.
"After the murder, the victim’s vehicle was stolen by the suspect," the sheriff's office said. "The victim’s vehicle was found on camera traveling along an interstate near the Arkansas-Oklahoma border area in the hours after the crime. To date, the victim’s vehicle has not been located or recovered."
Once they identified the suspect as Drake, TSCO said "a warrant was immediately obtained on Drake for murder" and the law enforcement search for him began.
Since footage reportedly showed Drake was outside of Alabama with the Andrews' vehicle, the sheriff's office called the U.S. Marshals Task Force to initiate the search.
However, TSCO said Drake was not aware that he had been named a suspect in the case. They said he "believed that he had escaped unidentified."
RELATED: 'She was so full of life' | Woman killed in Sequoyah County double homicide identified by family
Extensive criminal history
Since the onset of the crime spree was announced to the public, Drake's decades-long criminal history has come to light, revealing numerous convictions of violent crimes and robberies.
His first known felony conviction was in 1994, then again in 2003, both in Arizona. He was convicted in 1994 for armed robbery and aggravated assault in 2003.
In 2010, he was convicted of multiple felonies. Court documents say he carjacked a man while pointing a gun at him and led police on a chase before wrecking the stolen truck. The felony convictions from those crimes caused Drake to be classified as a habitual felon under the Armed Career Criminal Act, which is a federal law requiring repeat felons to receive increased sentences.
This is often referred to as the "three-strike law."
Because of Drake's previous convictions, he faced a guideline range of 264 to 327 months in prison. The court sentenced him to 264 months, which is equivalent to 22 years in prison.
Six years into his 22-year prison sentence, lawyers on behalf of Drake filed a motion for him to receive a new, unenhanced sentence, arguing that both of his first two convictions in Arizona were no longer characterized as violent crimes or felonies after a 2015 Supreme Court decision, Johnson v. United States.
In March 2017, the Court agreed and found that one of the early Arizona convictions no longer was a "strike" against him and therefore, his enhanced sentence was vacated.
Drake was resentenced to just over 11 years in prison and was given credit for time served since his arrest in 2010.
In the years following his resentencing, Drake was released and was in and out of custody for violating parole.
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