(WJAR) — A convicted child predator who escaped an Oklahoma prison more than two months ago was captured Tuesday in Rhode Island, according to law enforcement officials.
Logan Palmer, 41, walked away from a minimum-security facility in Oklahoma on July 22 while serving a 10-year sentence. His capture in Providence ended a weeks-long cross-country search.
Kay Gallamore, chief of public relations for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, said the nature of the facility aided in his initial escape.
Rhode Island State Police said an Oklahoma fugitive accused of escaping from a correctional facility, Logan Palmer, was arrested in Providence on Tuesday. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections)
“This minimum security facility has a lot of agricultural operations and has several hundred acres,” Gallamore said. “So it actually doesn’t have a fence around the facility.”
Gallamore noted that while most escapees from such facilities are caught within hours or days, Palmer managed to evade authorities for an extended period. Three days after leaving the prison, he was captured on video at a convenience store in Texas before disappearing.
The break in the case came after Oklahoma officials received a tip indicating Palmer was in the Northeast.
“We received a tip, and then we asked the Rhode Island Marshals Service to check up on the tip for us,” Gallamore said.
U.S. Marshals spotted Palmer outside Amos House, an organization that offers services to people experiencing homelessness, on Pine Street in Providence, where he was taken into custody without incident and handed over to Providence police.
U.S. Marshals spotted Logan Palmer outside Amos House on Pine Street in Providence, where he was taken into custody without incident and handed over to Providence police. (WJAR)
Officials said Palmer was likely familiar with the area, which may explain why he traveled to Rhode Island.
Residents expressed shock and relief following the arrest in their neighborhood.
“I’m just happy that he got caught because it could’ve been worse than what it was,” local resident Ricardo Leto said.
Palmer is currently being held at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections pending extradition back to Oklahoma. Officials indicated that upon his return, Palmer will be housed in a higher-security facility.
