'Armed and dangerous' suspect involved in four murders in custody after manhunt

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 3 minutes read

OKLAHOMA CITY — A man linked to several homicides in Oklahoma and Alabama was arrested Thursday after a nearly two-day manhunt, authorities said.

Stacy Lee Drake, 50, was arrested without incident around 10 a.m. in a wooded area south of an intersection in Morrilton, Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Department of Public Safety. He was wanted for the murders of three people in Oklahoma and a fourth in Alabama, authorities said.

“Drake is wanted for homicides and carjackings in Oklahoma and is wanted on other felony warrants from multiple jurisdictions, with charges including robbery, carjacking and murder,” the Arkansas Department of Public Safety said in a news release.

The Arkansas Department of Public Safety had warned residents in the Morrilton area, about 50 miles northwest of Little Rock, to be on alert after he was spotted outside a town motel . Before his arrest, authorities said Wednesday that Drake had purchased camping gear indicating he was still in the area.

Drake, who has an extensive criminal history, was described by law enforcement as armed and dangerous.

“If you look at his criminal history, he was continually escalating his violent behavior,” Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Capt. Jack Kennedy said at a news conference Thursday. “He's now responsible for at least three, possibly four homicides that we're aware of in the last couple of months, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were other unsolved homicides in other jurisdictions. “

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Suspect linked to at least 3 murders in Oklahoma and 1 in Alabama

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was asked for assistance in a homicide investigation in Gans, a town in Sequoyah County near the Oklahoma-Arkansas border. The agency said Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of two deceased people around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

When officers arrived on scene, they found an adult man and woman dead at a propane business, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

The man and woman, identified as Taylor Sharp and Tara Underwood, were shot, the agency said in a court affidavit. Sharp and Underwood were employees of LaFerry's Propane.

Authorities identified Drake as a person of interest after reviewing surveillance video. The video showed him driving away in Underwood's 2016 GMC Acadia after leaving the company, according to the affidavit. The vehicle was later found in Morrilton on Tuesday evening.

Drake is also suspected of killing a man in El Reno, a town just west of Oklahoma City. Shortly after his arrest Thursday, El Reno police confirmed to local TV station KOCO 5 that Drake had been identified as a suspect in a June 14 murder.

The man, identified as Phillip Emerson, 56, was found dead in a home and his vehicle was believed stolen by the suspect, according to KOCO 5.

In Alabama, Kennedy said Drake was suspected of killing Alcoholics Anonymous counselor Russell Andrews, 62, around May 14. Police responded to the Alcoholics Anonymous club in downtown Tuscaloosa after Andrews was found dead inside the building.

Surveillance video showed Andrew's vehicle missing from the scene and presumed stolen by the suspect, according to Kennedy. The vehicle was then located several hours later near the Oklahoma-Arkansas border.

Who is Stacy Lee Drake?

Authorities previously said Drake was from Birmingham, Alabama, but Kennedy noted Thursday that the suspect was not from that state.

“(Drake), at one point, was arrested in Alabama 15 years ago … for multiple, numerous violent crimes,” Kennedy said, adding that Drake was linked to a Birmingham address that ” may have been involved in his stay. a homeless shelter there.

Drake had only been in Tuscaloosa for about a week or two, Kennedy said. He described Drake as a “transient” with no fixed address and an extensive criminal history in several states.

Based on background investigations, Kennedy said investigators believe Drake spent significant time in Oklahoma and Arizona. Drake was also in federal custody at “different points in his career” and had federal charges pending against him for violating his parole, according to Kennedy.

“He was using a false name and may have dressed differently, including hats and glasses, at the time he was in Tuscaloosa,” Kennedy said. “It appears he was traveling the country in this lifestyle, using false names, in an attempt to avoid incarceration.”

Suspect linked to at least 3 murders in Oklahoma and 1 in Alabama

Who is Stacy Lee Drake?

Lina Portman

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