U.S. Marshals Task Force Arrests Escaped Prisoner

Tallahassee, FL - The United States Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force announced the arrest today of Donnie Tubbs, 35, of Matthews, Missouri for the offenses of Escape and Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution.

According to US Marshals in Little Rock, Arkansas, Tubbs escaped from a Conway County Sheriff’s Office transport van at Exit 108 on Interstate 40 on October 28, 2010. A massive manhunt involving Arkansas state and local officers unsuccessfully searched for Tubbs who was last seen running along I40 wearing cowboy boots, blue jeans, and handcuffs. The US Marshals Office in Little Rock joined the pursuit and located a Conway County Road Department Dump Truck which Tubbs is alleged to have stolen in Sikeston, Missouri. US Marshals along with a team of federal, state, and local officers attempted to arrest Tubbs but Tubbs was able to successfully escape through a wooded area behind his hideout. On Wednesday, November 3, Little Rock Marshals contacted the US Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force in Tallahassee, Florida after discovering that Tubbs was enroute to Tallahassee to pickup his girlfriend.

Task Force Officers worked late last night in an attempt to locate Tubbs but their persistence paid off this morning when a vehicle matching Tubbs’ getaway car was located at a residence in the 18000 block of

Blountstown Highway

. A team of task force officers entered the woods early this morning and surrounded the residence in an attempt to spot Tubbs. At approximately 12:00PM members of the US Marshals task force supported by a Leon County Sheriff’s Office K9 team made entry on the residence and located Tubbs inside of a piece of bedroom furniture. Tubbs had removed three of the drawers and hollowed the inside of the dresser out for a hiding place. Tubbs had then secured the drawer faces with screws and rigged a trap door on the back side of the dresser. Upon locating Tubbs, Task Force Officers subdued him with a Tazer after Tubbs refused to comply with officer’s commands. Tubbs was listed as Armed and Dangerous and had a lengthy violent criminal history. Tubbs is currently at the Leon County Jail awaiting extradition back to Conway County, Arkansas where he faces multiple felony charges along with his escape charge.

The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force is comprised of officers and deputies from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Tallahassee Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Leon County State Attorney’s Office, and the Perry Police Department. These officers and deputies are sworn in as Special Deputy US Marshals and have the authority to pursue violent wanted felons from their jurisdictions anywhere within the United States or her territories.