2 inmates who escaped from Arizona prison on January 23 captured in Coolidge

COOLIDGE, Ariz. – Two prisoners who escaped from a prison in florence were captured and arrested by the police in Coolidge.

Coolidge police said John Charpiot and David Harmon were arrested on January 28 after receiving several calls from residents who reported seeing them.

On the afternoon of January 28, authorities released a video of the body’s camera related to the arrest of the two fugitives. In the video, the officer and deputies were approaching the fugitives, who did not hear commands. Eventually, authorities used tasers on both.

Harmon, in the video, was seen trying to get the taser out of him before he was knocked to the ground.

US Marshals officials say that at one point, the two fugitives asked to be shot and killed.

“At one point, the two said ‘just shoot me,'” said David Gonzales. “Both were asking Coolidge police officers and deputies to kill them.”

Authorities say they have searched more than 800 homes in the days since the two escaped, and totaled 110 hours of investigation to find the two.

Man reports sighting of fugitives

The dramatic capture of Charpiot and Harmon on January 28 started with a man who spotted the two and called the police.

It started as a typical Thursday for Joe Marquez. He was driving south from Coolidge to check for some broken gates when he looked to the left and couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“My adrenaline was racing. My heart was pounding,” said Marquez.

Marquez tracked the two men for a few minutes and even recorded a video from his phone. The two men were seen wearing beige pants, covered in mud. One man was running and the other was losing strength.

“He was stooped,” said Marquez. “Waving the other guy to continue without him.”

When Marquez realized who they were and what was going on, he called 911. Then he had to convince the operator that he was right.

“They said ‘are you sure it’s them?'” Said Marquez. “I said ‘yes, of course. Who else would it be?'”

The authorities arrived in 10 minutes to capture the fugitives before they escaped again. Marquez says he is happy to have played a small but important role in catching them.

Marquez says he is also aware of the reward money: $ 70,000 which may soon be his.

“Oh yes, that would be good. We will see what happens. I am very happy that they were caught,” said Marquez. He says that if he received the reward, he would use it to pay some bills, help his mother and probably take a nice trip somewhere.

Charpiot, Harmon escaped on January 23

Charpiot and Harmon broke into a tool shed, knocking over an air conditioner and breaking a wall, according to authorities. The two prisoners obtained pliers, pliers and other items and used them to cut a fence.

“The preliminary investigation revealed that the prisoners violated the fence of the institution by using tools recovered from the tool room,” said Frank Strada of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.

Charpiot has been serving a 35-year sentence for child molestation and sexual abuse charges since 2011, officials say.

Harmon was serving a 100-year sentence for kidnapping and high school robbery. He had been in prison since 2012.

The pair was counted during the 4 pm count on Saturday, but did not show up for the 8:30 pm count, according to authorities.

According to tweets by Arizona Department of Public Security (DPS) officials on January 26, the two tried to steal a business in Florence on January 23. The two fugitives were spotted by a surveillance camera at the scene.

“Both men have ongoing medical problems and may try to visit drugstores or pharmacies,” says part of the tweet.

Authorities looking for inmates conducted door-to-door searches of houses in the prison area of ​​Florence.

Reaction to capture

Arizona Department of Public Security Director Colonel Heston Silbert says that while the two were captured, the real work is just beginning.

“One of them is a home invasion rapist, while the other is a child molester between the ages of seven and four,” said Colonel Silbert. “These were bad people that we wanted to take off the streets. We still have a concern, even though they have been captured, and the concern is that we have to find out where they have been in the past few days.”

Officials at the prison from which the two escaped say that no official was fired or suspended due to the incident, and an investigation into how the two escaped is ongoing.

Arizona State Senator TJ Shope, who represents parts of Pinal County, issued a statement thanking the authorities and the three observers who reported them to the police.

TTwo fugitives were captured and arrested this morning by Coolidge Police and the US Marshall’s Office. Today I want to thank the men and women in law enforcement who have worked around the clock since this weekend in search of the fugitives. They once again showed the importance of public security in our community, and we are all grateful for their hard work in that search that led to these apprehensions.

Shope said one of the witnesses reported that two men broke into his home. A second witness led the police to the inmates, while a third followed them on foot while reporting a sighting to the police.

“This was really an effort by the whole community with a safe and successful ending,” said Shope.

“The city of Florence is smiling tonight,” said Florence Police Chief Bruce Walls. “We had two individuals who trampled our city and because of the efforts of all those individuals you see behind me, they are now behind bars.”

Prisoners are awaiting transport back to the Corrections Department. Prison officials say an internal investigation is underway to determine how prisoners escaped.

Coolidge is 14 kilometers southwest of Florence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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