A McClain County detainee who escaped while being treated at a Purcell hospital was arrested Saturday morning at a gas station along Interstate 35 in Pauls Valley.
According to McClain County authorities, Michael Dustin Holsey, 22, was receiving treatment at a Purcell hospital early Saturday morning, when he fled the hospital on foot just before 7 a.m.
Holsey was being held on misdemeanor charges of breaking and entering a dwelling without permission and obstructing an officer, according to the McClain County court records. Those charges were filed Friday, Feb. 13.
As law enforcement searched the area near the hospital for Holsey Saturday morning, they received a call of a burglary at a residence in north Purcell, according to a statement posted to social media Sunday by the McClain County Sheriff’s Office. Shortly afterward a Hyundai Ioniq car was reported stolen in the same neighborhood, according to the statement.
Around 8:45 a.m. authorities said they received a third call of a motorist and another subject fighting on the side of I-35 in Garvin County. When law enforcement arrived, they allegedly found the stolen Hyundai abandoned, and the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup who said someone matching Holsey’s description had forcibly taken his truck, leaving him and a passenger stranded on the side of the road.
Not long after, officers located the truck parked in the pump area of a Pauls Valley gas station on the west side of I-35. Holsey was in the pickup and was taken into custody without further incident by Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Pauls Valley Police and the McClain County Sheriff’s Office and returned to the McClain County Jail.
Garvin County Sheriff Jim Mullett said no one was injured during the escape and Holsey did not use any weapons during the incident other than physical force.
Purcell Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Chickasaw Lighthorse Police and the Garvin County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the search and arrest.
McClain County Sheriff Landy Offolter said the incident is still under investigation.
“I’m just glad we caught him, and no one was hurt,” Offolter said.
Additional felony charges against Holsey were filed Tuesday in McClain County District Court, including first degree burglary and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He is being held on a $200,000 bond.
Mullett said Holsey could also face additional charges in Garvin County for the crimes committed here during the escape. As of press time Wednesday, no charges had been filed against Holsey in Garvin County District Court.
