Escaped inmate arrested after shots fired
Authorities arrested an escaped inmate Wednesday after the incident prompted a public school to lock down and a community college to send warnings to students.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Eric Brown said the inmate was arrested in the Clifton Hills area near Highway 24 and Highway 3 between Moberly and Salisbury after crashing an unmarked Chariton County Sheriff’s Office vehicle.
Brown said a Chariton County deputy was bringing an inmate back to Keytesville after getting medical treatment in Randolph County when the escape happened. The inmate got away from the deputy and somehow got the deputy’s truck and a gun and gunfire was exchanged before the inmate took off.
The inmate crashed the truck about 30 minutes later and ran from the crash but was captured soon after that, Brown said.
Several law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in Randolph County. They cleared the scene shortly before 6:30 p.m.
Brown said investigators will be back at the scene tomorrow and are likely to file a probable cause statement recommending charges to be filed against the suspect.
Earlier Moberly Area Community College sent warnings to students saying a woman in a Ford F-150 was being pursued by police eastbound on Highway 24. The woman had a gun and fired at officers, the alert said. The school later sent an alert saying the inmate had been captured.
The Westran School District in Huntsville went into lockdown for about 45 minutes, the district said on its website.
Brown said the sheriff’s office requested the school go into lockdown during the pursuit.
One deputy suffered minor injuries, Brown said. It is unclear how the deputy was hurt, but Brown confirmed it was not from gunfire.The inmate was booked into the Randolph County Jail, he said.
Check back for more on this developing story.
