The “armed and dangerous” suspect accused of four murders — three in Oklahoma and one in Alabama — as well as a slew of other crimes, was caught Thursday morning following a nearly two-day manhunt.
Stacy Lee Drake, 50, was taken into custody Thursday around 10 a.m., according to the Arkansas State Police.
He was found in a wooded area in Morrilton, Arkansas, and was captured without incident, according to investigators.
Drake was wanted in connection with three homicides in Oklahoma, stemming from two separate carjackings, according to Arkansas State Police. Following his arrest, it was revealed Drake was also wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of an Alcoholics Anonymous volunteer last month in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“Drake is separately wanted on multiple felony warrants from multiple jurisdictions, with charges including aggravated robbery, carjacking, and murder,” investigators said in a statement.
The Morrilton Police Department, Arkansas State Police, the Conway County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas National Guard and the Arkansas Division of Community Correction assisted in the search.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation gave more details Wednesday about two of the homicides that took place in Sequoyah County. Officers discovered a man and woman dead inside a business Tuesday.
The victims’ identities were not immediately released.
Although the victims’ causes of death are still being determined by the medical examiner, Oklahoma investigators said, “both sustained injuries consistent with homicide.”
Drake’s crime spree goes back to May, according to authorities.
Capt. Jack Kennedy, of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office, told reporters Thursday afternoon that Drake was wanted in connection with the death of Russell Andrews, whose body was found in an Alcoholics Anonymous building on May 14. Andrews worked as an AA volunteer for many years and was well-liked by its members, Kennedy said.
Kennedy alleged that Drake was a transient and was in Tuscaloosa, roughly 57 miles southwest of Birmingham, for at least a week before the discovery of Andrews’ body and used the AA’s services for food. Drake, who allegedly gave AA a phony name, stole Andrews’ car, according to Kennedy.
Kennedy said that Drake was a former federal inmate and had “an extensive criminal history,” including arrests for violent crimes in Alabama, Arizona and Oklahoma.
“We don’t know if he’s responsible for other homicides but that is being looked into,” Kennedy said.
Prior to his arrest, Drake had been last seen on foot outside a motel in Morrilton, Arkansas, according to police. Oklahoma investigators said a car he had allegedly stolen was found in Morrilton, which is roughly 130 miles east of where the bodies were found in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, on Tuesday night.
