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Security
Transport Services
Aug 28, 2019 mercurynews.com
Couple
wanted for murder escape from prison transport
A
couple wanted for murder in Arizona escaped from custody when they
overpowered guards who were transporting them through Utah, officials said
on Tuesday, adding that the man and woman are considered armed and
dangerous. Blane Barksdale, 56, and Susan Barksdale, 59, broke free on
Monday evening from two guards in Blanding, a rural town in southeast Utah,
the Tucson Police Department said in a statement. The couple later obtained
a GMC Sierra pickup truck and drove off, Tucson police spokesman Pete Dugan
said. “Investigators have information that they are possibly traveling
through Arizona,” Tucson police said in a statement. The couple were being
extradited from the upstate New York town of Henrietta, where they were
arrested in May, to Pima County, Arizona, to face a murder charge, Tucson
police said. It was not immediately clear how the couple commandeered the
pickup truck. It had damage to the front passenger side and rear bumper,
Tucson police said. Dugan could not provide further details on how the
couple escaped. The two guards who were transporting the Barksdales worked
for the private company Security Transport Services, which is hired by Pima
County, Arizona, officials to transport inmates. A representative for
Kansas-based Security Transport Services could not immediately be reached
for comment. The Barksdales are charged with murdering Tucson resident
Frank Bligh, 72, who was last seen on April 7 at the Cowpony Bar in Tucson,
police said in a statement in May. Bligh’s house was intentionally set on
fire on April 16 and the flames set off an explosion in the home, the
police said. Bligh was not found inside the house. Police later identified
the Barksdales as suspects in Bligh’s disappearance, obtaining an arrest
warrant on May 1 on a charges of murder, burglary, arson and vehicle theft,
Tucson police said.
Aug 28, 2019 azfamily.com
Reward offered for Tucson homicide suspects who escaped from prison van
TUCSON, AZ (3TV/CBS5) -- A big reward is now being offered for
information about two Tucson homicide suspects who escaped from a prison
van. The U.S. Marshals Service is now offering a $10K reward (per fugitive)
for information leading to the arrest of Blane Barksdale, 56, and Susan
Barksdale, 59. The Barksdales reportedly escaped from a private prison
transport company while being extradited from New York City to Pima County.
"It just shows you their mental state," said Sgt. Pete Durgan,
Tucson Police. "I'm sure at this point they have nothing to
lose, so these people should be considered armed and dangerous."
Authorities said the pair is likely armed and dangerous. The Apache County
Sheriff’s Office said the Barksdales overpowered two transport officers in
Blanding, Utah, on Monday, Aug. 26. One of the transport officers suffered
minor injuries. The Barksdales allegedly then drove to St. Johns in
northeastern Arizona. There, they dumped the transport van and took off in
another vehicle. The FBI will now be taking over the case. The Barksdales
are accused in connection with the presumed death of 72-year-old Frank
Bligh in Tucson in April 2019. Bligh, whose body has not been found, was
reported missing. On April 16, his home in the 3500 block of South Calexico
Avenue caught fire and exploded. The next day, his car was found abandoned
in Tucson. "We're a little dumbfounded at the whole thing. I don't
even understand why they would transport the two of them together,"
said William Bligh, the victim's brother. "What they did, I mean they
took away part of our life." On April 24, the Barksdales’ nephew Brent
Mallard was arrested on an arson charge. Less than a month later, the
Barksdales were arrested near Rochester, New York, on charges of first-degree
murder. The FBI, US Marshals and Apache County Sheriff’s Office are all
assisting in the investigation. If the Barksdales are spotted, please call
911 immediately. Anyone with possible information on their whereabouts is
urged to call 911 or 88-CRIME. "I want the police to do whatever they
gotta do to get these people," said William Bligh.
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