Dramatic drone footage captured the moment an escaped inmate was caught in the woods after being on the run for several hours in Michigan.
Career criminal Casie Jo Helsel, 44, broke out of the Crawford County Jail in Grayling, Michigan at around 1:30 p.m. Monday, sparking a massive, multi-agency manhunt, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office announced.
Investigators believed Helsel — who ditched his orange prison jumpsuit and was last seen in white underwear — had escaped to a nearby swamp less than a mile away from the jail.
The sheriff’s office engaged the help of state police to hunt the escapee down, who reportedly had a history of running away from authorities.
In a 43-second clip of the capture mission posted by the Michigan State Police, several officers and K-9 units were seen on drone footage trekking throughout the wooded area trying to track down Helsel.
“He’s ran on us several times and his M.O. is to hunker down, whether it be in the water, under a dock or on a stream on the edge and just wait ‘til night,” a member of the aviation team says in the footage.
Using thermal technology to track movement, the aerial operator directs the officers on the ground towards Helsel.
“There’s a big pile of like brush and junk and probably another 25, 30 yards. You guys should be getting pretty close, probably about 10 feet,” the operator says.
At one point, the operator notes that Helsel is “kind of buried in there.”
“You guys are surrounding him, good, everything’s looking good, about five, six feet,” the aviation officer says. “You guys are almost standing on top of it, what we’re seeing heat-wise underneath the wood pile.”
Toward the end of the clip, the ground teams locate Helsel hiding beneath wood and debris and take him into custody.
“We got him. We got him,” the operator announces.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that Helsel was captured just before 4 p.m. — less than two-and-a-half hours after he broke out of jail.
Investigators believe Helsel escaped through a door that was left propped open, WPBNreported, citing Sheriff Ryan Swope.
The door is used by those working for and with the jail, transporting items in and out of the facility, according to the sheriff’s office.
However, authorities do not believe the person who left the door open did so to help Helsel break out of jail.
The runaway has a lengthy rap sheet dating back over two decades that includes drug possession, obstruction of justice, unlawfully driving a motor vehicle and fleeing from police charges, according to online criminal records.
It’s unclear if Helsel was slapped with additional charges now that he’s back in the clink after his great escape.
The sheriff’s office will launch a detailed review into how Helsel escaped and make policy changes to ensure it doesn’t happen again, the outlet reported.
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