The Arkansas Department of Corrections’ status of escapee Samuel Hartman changed overnight from “temporarily absent” to “returned from escape” following his arrival in Arkansas. Hartman, who had been a fugitive from justice for more than a year, was flown from West Virginia by the Arkansas State Police and a Special Response Team Officer from the Department of Corrections. The two women who are believed to have assisted his escape were on the plane with him.
All three were questioned by State Police investigators then taken to secure housing. Hartman has been placed in one of Arkansas’ most secure prisons where he is in a single-man cell. Those aiding and abetting in the escape remain in sheriff’s custody pending adjudication of their pending charges.
Hartman, a convicted sex offender sentenced to life for rape, escaped August 12, 2022, from a work crew at the East Arkansas Regional Unit in Lee County. The escape involved vehicles, jet skis and weapons. He and his alleged accomplices were arrested August 29 at a motel in Lewisburg, West Virginia by the U.S. Marshals Service with local law enforcement assistance.
The Marshals Service’s Fugitive Task Force, which includes members of the Department of Corrections’ Special Response Team, developed information that led to the capture. These dedicated individuals collaborated with law enforcement officers across the United States to investigate hundreds of leads since Hartman’s escape.
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