Pair of Georgia fugitives in custody in Iowa town
Nov 20, 2012 | 1433 views | 0 0 comments | 3 3 recommendations | email to a friend | print
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Two men wanted after escaping from a county jail in Georgia have been caught in Iowa, authorities said late Tuesday.

Matthew S. Findley, 24, and Jeffery R. Webb, 26, are wanted for escape from the Emanuel County Jail in Swainsboro on Nov. 11, said Tim Carmody, the police chief in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Both are from the Swainsboro area.

Georgia authorities notified police that the two may be in Fort Dodge, about 90 miles northwest of Des Moines. They were located at a residence Tuesday afternoon and taken into custody.

Findley is charged with murder in Georgia, and Webb faces a charge of aggravated assault.

The men were among six prisoners who escaped after a plumbing worker at the jail left a door unlocked. The other four inmates were caught within a few days, authorities said.

The men escaped through the unlocked door into a plumbing mechanical area in the jail, Emanuel County Sheriff Tyson Stephens said.

Once the men got into the mechanical area, they were able to reach the roof and then climb down to freedom, the sheriff said.

On Tuesday, federal prosecutors filed charges of conspiracy to harbor a fugitive against four Georgia residents.

Ashley N. Lewis, Joshua R. Saturday, Charles Pretlow and Ida Clark are accused of helping one of the six inmates in various ways after the escape, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Savannah, Ga. That inmate, Cecil D. Nelson, was recaptured before the final two inmates were taken into custody in Iowa.

The day of the escape, Nelson called Saturday and sought his help, the complaint states. Saturday then used his car to pick up Nelson — who was wearing only boxer shorts and prison-issued sandals — and provided him with clothing, prosecutors said. Nelson eventually surrendered to authorities in Georgia.

Court records did not list attorneys for the four Georgia residents facing charges.
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