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SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) — A kidnapping suspect who escaped from a Missouri jail and days later drove off in an Oklahoma patrol car while handcuffed was arrested Tuesday back in Missouri after nine days on the run.
Authorities said Travis Lee Davis, 30, was found in the early morning trying to hide in the attic space of a garage after a call from a citizen who believed Davis was in there.
Sedalia Police Chief Matt Wirt told the Sedalia Democrat that Davis tried to escape before he was arrested.
"He tried to get away from the officers through going over the rafters, but officers were able to grab him when he got over by a wall and quickly handcuff him," Wirt said. "We didn't give him the opportunity to run, to fight, and got him into custody quickly."
Davis claimed he had a medical issue after being discovered and was transported by ambulance to the Bothwell Regional Health Center where he was found fit for confinement, according to a news release. Officers then took him to the Pettis County Jail, where Sedalia officers had brought him five weeks ago after a hostage situation in Buckner Court.
Davis had been the subject of a two-state manhunt since escaping from the Pettis County Jail in Sedalia on March 9.
He was recaptured four days later in Heavener, Oklahoma. But police said he was able to escape from a patrol car by crawling into the front seat while handcuffed. He drove the car about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) before crashing.
Police suspect he later stole a pickup truck and drove back to Missouri.
Davis is now in isolation at the Pettis County Jail, Bond said.
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Information from: The Sedalia Democrat, http://www.sedaliademocrat.com
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