One of three inmates who escaped from a Missouri jail last week by cutting a hole in the ceiling has been found and taken into custody in Wyoming, officials said.
Lance Justin Stephens, Matthew Allen Crawford, and Christopher Allen Blevins were discovered missing from the Barry County Jail early Friday. Authorities believe the trio made their escape by cutting a hole in the ceiling to enter a water heater storage.
Blevins ended up near Casper, Wyoming, more than 900 miles away, before he was captured Wednesday afternoon, according to the Barry County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Marshals Service informed Natrona County, Wyoming, law enforcement that one of the inmates, Blevins, was possibly at a gas convenience store in the area Wednesday, the Mills Police Department of Wyoming said in a release.
Blevins, 37, was believed to be armed and a dangerous, driving a gold Dodge Ram with a flatbed and possibly with a woman, according to officials.
At 11:20 a.m., local law enforcement learned Blevins was possibly at Ghost Town Truck Stop in the 6600 block of West Yellowstone Highway. Two minutes later, Mills police officers arrived to the area and saw the gold Dodge Ram and a man inside with a female passenger parked on the west side of the truck stop.
When officers entered the parking area, the man drove off, according to officials.
Officers activated their overhead lights and followed the Dodge Ram at nearly 80 mph for two minutes before the vehicle pulled over.
Blevins was taken into custody. The female passenger, who was not named, was released pending further investigation.
It's not clear where the other two inmates may be.
The night they escaped, a farm truck was stolen and later found in Kansas. U.S. marshals took over the search Friday and said the inmates were no longer be in the area.
NBC News has reached out to U.S. marshals for comment.