4th Escaped Oklahoma Inmate Captured In Texas

Authorities captured the fourth and final inmate Wednesday who escaped an Oklahoma jail two weeks ago.

Jerome Lynn Rutherford Jr. was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal's Service in North Texas, according to the Texarkana Gazette.

"We had developed some information that Rutherford was in Sherman, Texas, staying in a hotel there. We contacted our office there and they did surveillance all afternoon. They waited for him to come out and approached him and he surrendered," said Lance Hancock with the Eastern District of Oklahoma U.S. Marshal's Office.

Four inmates — Justin Michael Hughes, 20; Kolby Russell Watson, 28; Donnie Kale Middlebrooks, 21; and Rutherford, 23 — escaped from the McCurtain County Jail on February 3. Hughes was arrested Wednesday morning when three McCurtain residents found him on their property near Idabel. Watson was taken into custody February 6 and Middlebrooks was found on February 10.

Officials said they are glad all four inmates are in custody.

"It took us a little bit longer than we wanted to get them all. But there was a lot of cooperation between the agencies. We had our Eastern Oklahoma office working it along with Western Arkansas and East Texas," Hancock said.