BRICKEYS, Ark. — Escaped Arkansas prison inmate Samuel Hartman has been captured by U.S. Marshals after being on the run for over a year, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Hartman escaped from the East Arkansas Regional Unit (EARU) on Aug. 12, 2022, according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC).
39-year-old Hartman of Magazine was sentenced to life in prison for raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter and had been incarcerated since 2013.
After announcing his initial escape, ADC warned the public that he may be with the two women identified as Misty Hartman and Linda Annette White. Those two women were arrested along with Hartman by U.S. Marshals. Another man was also arrested, identified by officials as Rodney Trent, who they say also helped Hartman escape.
"Samuel Hartman, the two women believed to be with him at the time of his escape from the East Arkansas Regional Unit, and another individual believed to have aided in the escape have been captured in another state," ADC said.
Hartman and the other individuals were taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at a motel in Lewisburg, West Virginia, the U.S. Marshals office in Little Rock said.
Hartman escaped from a work detail in a field near the EARU facility when his wife and mother drove up to the work detail in a pickup and fired several shots toward officers as Hartman got in the truck. They were pursued to the river, where they had two jet skis staged.
Suspects arrested:
- Samuel Hartman
- Misty Hartman (Samuel's wife)
- Linda Annette White (Samuel's mom)
- Rodney Trent (White's boyfriend)
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of a year of outstanding, dedicated work by our heroic law enforcement officers. Now that they have brought this dangerous fugitive to justice, all Arkansans can sleep safer at night,” said Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
"The US Marshals pride themselves on working with other agencies, we couldn't do what we do without the assistance of everyone else. I mean, it's it's definitely a team effort. We bring to the table certain resources, certain knowledge, and then we work collectively with these other agencies" said Jeremey Hammons, a deputy U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
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