CONWAY COUNTY, Ark. — According to the Conway County Sheriff's Office, 50-year-old Stacy Lee Drake has been caught and taken into custody in Conway County.
Drake, who police spent more than 24 hours searching for, had an active warrant for a homicide in Alabama and is the suspect in three homicides in Oklahoma.
He was also separately wanted on felony warrants from multiple jurisdictions, with charges including aggravated robbery, carjacking, and murder.
Police suspected Drake to be in Morrilton, Arkansas after receiving information that he was spotted at a hotel in the area.
According to reports, officials initially noticed a stolen vehicle connected to a crime in Oklahoma parked at a hotel in Morrilton.
50-year-old Stacy Lee Drake of Birmingham, Alabama, was seen on video in the hotel's parking lot. The hotel was searched, but Drake was not located at the time.
He was taken into custody by the Morrilton Police Department, Arkansas State Police, and the Conway County Sheriff's Office at about 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. He was found in a wooded area near the intersection of University Boulevard and Poor Farm Road just west of the Walmart.
The Arkansas National Guard utilized their Black Hawk helicopter crews to support the search from the air, while a number of local and federal law enforcement agencies followed up on countless leads from the community.
“The public’s role in bringing this to a safe conclusion cannot be understated,” said Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar said. “A strong response from our media partners and the vigilance of our residents almost certainly prevented additional violence at the hands of this fugitive.”
Drake is now being held at the Conway County Detention Center.