Davidson County inmate captured near Kansas City after 10-day escape

Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old Tennessee inmate, was captured Tuesday near Kansas City, Missouri, ending a 10-day search that spanned hundreds of miles. The arrest occurred after Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers tracked him using roadside cameras and a helicopter. Morley was found when his truck became stuck in the mud.

Morley had escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee’s far northwestern corner on Oct. 25. He slipped through a fence while wearing his prison clothes. Surveillance video showed him stealing a truck from a farm near the prison shortly after the escape. He later abandoned that vehicle and walked to a farm in Marion, Illinois, which is approximately 127 miles from the prison.

Investigators determined that Morley spent time in a shed on the Marion farm, a location periodically used by hunters. Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said evidence showed Morley drank beer and prepared garlic bread. He also left a handwritten apologetic note after stealing a second truck from the property. Authorities recovered two rifles and a shotgun from that truck. Diederich believes Morley stole clothes and the firearms from the farm.

Diederich stated that Morley walked about 3 miles from the abandoned first truck to the Marion farm. Security cameras captured Morley walking away from the first vehicle and traveling along Route 13. The terrain, which included fields and woods, made it difficult for others to spot him. It remains unclear why Morley traveled to Marion or why he was driving near Kansas City, a location more than 350 miles away. Diederich described Morley’s arrival in Marion as a mystery.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released all available information regarding Morley’s whereabouts during his escape. Spokesperson Kim Wheeler-Elder confirmed this in a text message. Diederich said there is no evidence that Morley received help from anyone while on the run.

Morley was transported to the Lafayette County jail in Lexington, Missouri, following his arrest. A deputy U.S. marshal interviewed him at the jail on Tuesday. In a probable cause affidavit, Morley admitted to escaping the Tennessee prison and stealing the truck and firearms in Marion. No charges have been filed against him in Missouri courts, according to online records. The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In Tennessee, Morley was charged in federal court with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He was also charged Tuesday in federal court in Missouri with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. said he plans to file additional charges. It is currently unclear when Morley will be returned to Tennessee.