After being on the run for three days, Phelps Correctional Center escapee Jamaul LeBleu was apprehended in Houston on Friday around 3 p.m.
It was on Wednesday, February 3, around 1:30 p.m. that LeBleu walked away from work detail in Vinton. Several sightings of LeBleu were made throughout the afternoon and all schools in Vinton remained in lockdown until early evening. Authorities zeroed in on a two to three mile radius off of Big Woods Road using tracking dogs, and patrols were also initiated northwest of Delta Downs Casino.
Despite the rain and cold, searches continued throughout that night and the next day. A siting of LeBleu on Friday morning prompted a lockdown of Starks High School. The lockdown was lifted soon afterward when it was discovered that he was not in that area.
A resident of Vinton alerted law enforcement on Friday morning that he had given LeBleu a ride to E-Z Mart and shortly thereafter, a 2003 Toyota Camry was reported stolen in the area. According to officials, the stolen Camry was then reported as heading west on I-10. LeBleu was apprehended shortly thereafter without incident.
Warden Robert Henderson and the staff of Phelps Correctional Center extend their gratitude to local media, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, Vinton Police Department, and other local law enforcement officials who assisted them. They would also like to thank the citizens of Vinton and the surrounding area who provided food, beverages, and encouragement to staff working to apprehend the escapee.
LeBleu, who is from Church Point, was serving a four year prison term for Simple Burglary. He now faces additional charges of escape and possession of a stolen vehicle. LeBleu remains in custody in Houston and will be returned to Louisiana at a later date.
Sulphur, La. —
