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Full Report on Escape - Jonathan Ware

06/14/2019

For Immediate Release

Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office

Contact: Sheriff Kevin Molder or Captain Jeremy Lally

For More Information: (870) 578-5411, kevin.molder@poinsettcounty.us, or jlally@poinsettcounty.us

(June 14, 2019, Poinsett County, Arkansas)

On June 13, 2019 at approximately 2:25 pm, Jonathan Ware, 32, of Harrisburg, along with other inmates, were outside during a required exercise yard call. The Detention Officer on duty stated the yard call was coming to an end when Ware took off running and managed to climb over 2 barbed wire fences and escape. The Officer immediately contacted our dispatch center and alerted them of the escape.

Deputies and Officers from surrounding agencies responded to the Detention Center and immediately started searching for Ware. Trumann PD, Harrisburg PD, Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Highway Police, and Local Constables assisted us with the search.

When Ware jumped the fence, he ran East towards Old Military Lane. He entered a home on Old Military Lane and changed clothes to elude detection. The owner of the house came home and noticed someone had broken in. He immediately called our dispatch center and reported the burglary. A search was conducted around the home.

At approximately 6:55 pm, we received calls from citizens who stated they saw Ware running in Harrisburg down Border Street. Deputies and Officers started chasing Ware. Ware ran inside a house on Elm Street. Officers were chasing him through the house when Ware dived head first through a closed window, which broke the glass and injured 2 officers. The officers caught Ware and he attacked them when they went to arrest him. He continued fighting the officers and attempted to break the glass on a patrol car. Ware was transported to the Poinsett County Detention Center.

Ware is charged with Third Degree Escape, 2 counts of Residential Burglary, 2 counts of Battery in the second degree (of a law enforcement officer), Fleeing on foot with property damage, and 2 counts of Criminal Mischief. Judge Ron Hunter set a $300,000 cash only bond during a Probable Cause Hearing.

Words cannot express how much I appreciate the assistance we received from the agencies that responded. I am also thankful for the citizens who called our dispatch center. I have no doubt that the assistance from the surrounding departments, tips from the community, and the media releases is the reason for our quick apprehension of Ware.

The Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office announced a new mobile App available for download in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store on December 21, 2017. The App user can select which push notifications they would like to subscribe to through the App. For those who have the App and signed up for push notifications, they were able to receive real time information about the escape.

I would encourage anyone who has a smart phone to download the App so they can receive this type of important information. This is not Mobile Patrol. We do not use it. The inmate roster can be viewed on the App.

The App is free for users to download on both Android and iOS mobile devices. To download, visit https://www.PoinsettCountySheriff.org/app or go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and type “Poinsett County Sheriff” in the search bar. 

Sheriff Kevin Molder

jonathan ware