Two Arizona State Prison escapees, who authorities had described as potentially dangerous, were captured Thursday by Coolidge police officers and members of a U.S. Marshal’s task force.
David Harmon and John Charpiot escaped from the State Prison in Florence on Saturday. They had been imprisoned on felony charges of molestation of a child, sexual abuse, kidnapping and second-degree burglary.
A statement by Sen. T.J. Shope, who represents the area in the Arizona Legislature, said residents in nearby communities, including West Chandler and South Tempe, had been “living in fear, especially knowing that witnesses had reported them in the area.”
“Today I want to thank the men and women in law enforcement who worked around the clock since this weekend in pursuit of the escapees,” Shope said. “They once again showed the importance of public safety in our community, and we are all grateful that their hard work in this pursuit led to these apprehensions.
“I also want to recognize three members of the public who safely assisted officers this morning. According to reports, one witness saw two men, who he believed were the inmates, and helped lead officers to them. A woman reported to police this morning two men broke into her parents’ home, and another man told police he was pursuing the inmates on foot.
“This was truly a community-wide effort with a safe and successful ending.”
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