A year after escaping from an Arkansas prison on a jet ski, a man convicted of sexual assault was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Wednesday.
“Attempts to evade justice for this dangerous criminal ended today thanks to the tireless efforts of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and our law enforcement partners,” Cory Harris, chief deputy U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Arkansas, said in a statement .
Samuel Paul Hartman, 39, was sentenced to life in prison in 2013 after attacking his stepdaughter. However, according to the US Marshals, he managed to escape in 2022 with the help of his wife Misty Hartman (39) and his mother Linda Annette White (61).
During the investigation, authorities discovered that the fugitive was in West Virginia with the two women and his mother’s boyfriend, Rodney Trent, 52.
The two women are accused of helping Mr. Hartman escape using a pickup truck and jet skis, while Mr. Trent faces charges “for allegedly harboring a sex offender and aiding the trio in their escape.”
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of a year of exceptional and dedicated work by our heroic police officers. Now that they have brought this dangerous fugitive to justice, all Arkansans can sleep safely at night,” said Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.