PHOENIX — A suspect fled from four bail bondsmen who were extraditing him from Arizona to North Carolina on Wednesday, the same day that a fugitive couple was arrested after escaping a private prison transport last month.
The Navajo County Sheriff's Office said Thursday the man, who was not immediately identified, was being extradited from the Phoenix area for burglary, vehicle theft and drug charges when he fled.
The suspect, who the bail bondsmen said was handcuffed when he fled, got away from the private company at a Circle K in Heber and ran south into a nearby neighborhood.
Deputies searched throughout the night, but were unable to locate him.
The sheriff's office is asking Heber residents to be on the lookout for the suspect and contact them if they notice any suspicious activity in the area.
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The fugitive escaped the same day that Blane and Susan Barksdale, a couple who were on the run for weeks after escaping a prison transport on Aug. 26, were captured in the Tonto Basin area near Roosevelt Lake.
A tip that eventually led to the Barksdales arrest pointed authorities to Punkin Center in Tonto Basin. The caller told authorities that they might want to look in that area.