Incidents of inmates escaping from jail are mostly high suspense plots seen in movies. However, in an unexpected turn of events, an inmate from an Arkansas prison managed to escape from the facility. Robert Woodward, a 46-year old inmate at the Arkansas prison, managed to dodge the guards and escape while working outside and it is believed that he has also stolen a Pickup Truck, which was hauling a tractor from a Gas Station after his escape.
According to Solomon Graves, the spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, the incident took place on the morning of Tuesday, June 20 around 8:20 a.m.
Woodward and his fellow prisoners were taken outside to mow a cornfield, which is located near the Delta Regional Unit in Dermott.
Inmate steals pickup truck after escaping
The authorities at the correctional facility believe that Woodward had stolen a white Ford F-250 manufactured in 2013. The pickup was hauling a green John Deere tractor from a nearby gas station. The white Ford carries a license plate issued in Arkansas with the number 764UZM on it. The police, as well as the prison staff, are currently searching for the absconding prison inmate in the area.
A gas station employee, from where the pickup truck was stolen, relayed that the vehicle belonged to a customer who had stopped at the station earlier in the day.
The gas station, named Dermott Super Stop is located at 302 E. Speedway Street and is almost a mile-and-a-half drive from the prison where Woodward was kept. It was conveyed to the law enforcement and prison authorities that the owner of the pickup truck had stopped at the gas station and got out of the vehicle to get some food.
As soon as he stepped out to grab a bite, the escaped convict took the truck and sped off. The police are currently scrutinizing video camera footage of the theft at the gas station.
Woodward and his crimes
The police stated that Woodward was arrested on January 17 in Arkansas after a long vehicle chase with the authorities.
The chase ultimately came to an end when the authorities fired at a tire of his Dodge pickup and rammed into his vehicle. Woodward is a wanted man in “as many as five states” on charges which range from assault with a deadly weapon, escape, and assault of a law enforcement officer. On the basis of these charges, he was sentenced to eight years in prison, which is why he was transferred to the Delta unit on April 6 from where he escaped.