TIPTONVILLE, Tenn. — A man serving a life sentence for murder who escaped from a state prison in Tiptonville in late October is back in custody, arrested Tuesday in Carroll County, Missouri, after his vehicle got stuck while he tried to leave the road, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.
The TBI identified the inmate by the surname Morley. His capture closes a manhunt that stretched more than a week and reached across several states, with investigators following tips and camera data as he moved west.
The decisive tip came at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. That is when the TBI alerted the Missouri State Highway Patrol that Morley could be on the interstate headed west near Independence, on the eastern edge of the Kansas City area.
Automated license plate cameras then picked up the vehicle, and officers spotted it on Missouri 291 in Liberty. A Kansas City police helicopter kept watch from above as the vehicle turned back east and crossed into Carroll County, where it left the pavement and became stuck. A trooper walked up and arrested Morley without incident.
Troopers said they believed he might be carrying several weapons as the search closed in on him in Missouri. The TBI said three guns that had earlier been reported stolen were recovered after the arrest.
The TBI had added Morley to its most wanted list while the search went on, and after the arrest the bureau thanked members of the public who sent in tips about where he might be. State officials have not said when he will be returned to Tennessee or what new charges he may face.
Section: More Nashville TN crime news
Filed under: Nashville TN Crime News
