By Lauren Pack
Journal-News
FARMINGTON, Mo. — Four Missouri escaped inmates taken into custody in Butler County over the weekend will soon return to that state to face charges, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
Aaron Wade Sebastian, 30; Kelly McSean, 52, Lujuan Tucker, 37 and Dakota Pace, 26, were part of a group of five inmates who escaped Tuesday night from the St. Francois County Detention Center in Farmington, Mo., according to law enforcement there and local officials. The U.S. Marshals Service issued a notice to be on the lookout for the men and offered a reward for each.
According to the US Marshals Service, Sebastian is a registered sex offender who was in jail on an assault charge, McSean is a registered sex offender charged with sexual assault, Tucker has a previous charge of child rape and was in jail for assault and Pace was jailed for stealing and tampering with motor vehicles.
All appeared in Butler County Common Pleas Court Monday and waived extradition proceedings and Missouri officials have been notified. There are no local charges against the men, according to the sheriff’s office.
At about 9:30 p.m. Friday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop of a Scion TC vehicle on Ohio 129 at Ohio 747 in Liberty Twp.
“While troopers were talking with them, the vehicle fled the scene and a short pursuit ensued. The Scion came to a stop on Willow Brook Drive in Liberty Twp. and the four occupants fled on foot, with troopers taking two suspects quickly into custody,” states a release from the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Dept.
Sebastian and McSean were taken into custody at that traffic stop.
At about 2:15 a.m. Saturday officers from the West Chester Police Dept. located and apprehended Tucker.
The remaining suspect, Pace, was apprehended about 9 a.m. Saturday while hiding in a car parked in the Carriage Hill neighborhood in Liberty Twp..
Sheriff Richard K. Jones said Saturday morning’s search was helped by 25 law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel who were training in the county and were deployed with other departments.
A reverse 911 call was placed by BCSO dispatchers to resident of the neighborhood instructing them to stay inside and lock their doors.
“When people have escaped and they are trying to get away they do desperate things,” Jones said.
The sheriff said people pointed in the direction of where the suspected person was and two members from their group happened upon the vehicle of where Pace was found. Their canine “hit the vehicle,” he said.
The windows were fogged, which indicated someone could be in the car, Jones said. Deputies opened the car and found Pace hunkered down in the backseat, he said.
“I don’t know who was the most shocked, out guys who found him or the guy hiding in the back seat,” Jones said.
The sheriff’s office received drone footage from the Trenton Police Department of when Pace was apprehended Saturday morning around 9 a.m.
Another of the five inmates, Michael Wilkins, 42, was apprehended Thursday in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was in jail for burglary and a probation violation.
Surveillance video taken Jan. 17 in Missouri show the escaped inmates entering a stolen vehicle about a mile from the detention center where they were incarcerated. The St. Francois County Sheriff said the inmates earlier had forced their way through a door at the jail, then made their way to the roof of the building and eventually the ground before taking off on foot.
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