Arkansas Prison Escapee Samuel Paul Hartman Found Hiding with Family in West Virginia Motel After Year-Long Manhunt
Arkansas child rapist Samuel Paul Hartman, who escaped from prison using a jet ski (Photo: KATV)
Samuel Paul Hartman, Arkansas Child Rapist Who Fled on Jet Ski, Recaptured with Family at West Virginia Motel
According to a Daily Mail article, Samuel Paul Hartman, an Arkansas child rapist who had escaped from an Arkansas prison a year ago by riding a jet ski, was apprehended a year later while hiding with his family in a motel in West Virginia.
The US Marshals office in Little Rock, Arkansas, reported that Samuel Paul Hartman, aged 39, was arrested at the Quality Inn in Lewisburg, West Virginia, on Tuesday. His wife, Misty Hartman, also aged 39, his mother, Linda Annette White, aged 61, and his mother’s boyfriend, Rodney Trent, aged 52, were all apprehended alongside him.
Samuel Paul Hartman, serving a life sentence since December 2013 for raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter at East Arkansas Regional Unit Prison, escaped on August 12, 2022, during fieldwork. His wife and mother aided his escape, firing shots at the work crew. They fled to the Mississippi River, using two jet skis in their getaway.
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Witnesses Spot Fugitive and Women Riding Abandoned Jet Skis, Sparking Investigation
Abandoned jet skis near a river led to a year-long pursuit. Witnesses spotted a man and two women using them to cross. Later, in Tunica County, Mississippi, a farmer found the jet skis, along with a cell phone and keys at a boat ramp. In March, US Marshals and Arkansas investigators arrested all four suspects, including Hartman, at a Quality Inn & Suites in West Virginia. Photos showed Hartman with a bloodied face, with the cause undisclosed.
Joe Profiri, Arkansas Department of Corrections Secretary, praised the determined efforts of law enforcement, including the United States Marshals Service, Arkansas State Police, and Arkansas Department of Corrections, in capturing the suspects. He also thanked various agencies, such as the Arkansas Governor’s office and the State of West Virginia, for their collaborative support.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders commended the year-long dedication of law enforcement officers in capturing the fugitives, ensuring the safety of all Arkansans. As per an Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson cited by The New York Post, extradition to Arkansas is pending for all four individuals, with charges for the women yet to be specified, and Trent facing felony charges for aiding a sex offender on the run.
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