By Hicham Raache
Times Record * hraache@swtimes.com
Wesley David Elmore, the suspect in a Sebastian County stabbing who has been on the run for three months, was caught in Pope County on Sunday.
Elmore, 31, was arrested in the Russellville wooded area he fled into Saturday afternoon after a trooper with Arkansas State Police pulled over a vehicle occupied by Elmore and the woman believed to be his girlfriend. Both Elmore and the woman fled into the woods. One day later, authorities closed in and arrested him. The woman he was with was still at large Sunday night, according to Maj. Kevin Nickson of the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office.
"It feels good to get him apprehended because we had some citizens out there who feared for their safety," Nickson said. "I'm happy to get him off the streets."
Sebastian County authorities have been searching for Elmore since the Oct. 25 stabbing of Paul Bryan Elmore, 33, at Kitchenette Apartments in Huntington. Nickson said he does not know if Paul Elmore, who was treated at St. Edward Mercy Medical Center for stab wounds to his left cheek, right shoulder and the left side of his chest, is related to Wesley Elmore. As Wesley Elmore was escorted into the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center Sunday afternoon, in response to a question about whether he was related to the alleged stabbing victim, he said only that he did not stab anybody.
Shortly after the stabbing, a warrant for Wesley Elmore's arrest on suspicion of first-degree battery was issued. Following tips and leads, Sebastian County authorities searched for the suspect across Sebastian County.
"He's very familiar with south Sebastian County," Nickson said. "During some of those searches we were seconds behind him."
While on the run, Elmore was aided by friends, Nickson said. Those who are suspected of having aided Elmore in eluding authorities include Angela Bennett, Steven Foote, Shannon Malone and Lana Miller, Elmore's girlfriend. All were arrested on suspicion of obstructing a government operation, according to Nickson.
When Miller was released from the Detention Center, investigators hoped that her actions would lead them to Elmore, Nickson said.
When a Times Record reporter asked Elmore, as he walked into jail Sunday, if his friends helped him elude police, Elmore replied by singing from Garth Brooks' popular song, "I've got friends in low places."
Sebastian County investigators, Nickson said, recently received information that Elmore was heading to the Russellville area.
When the state trooper pulled over Elmore and the woman believed to be Miller, they were traveling in a dark colored, possibly purple, older model Ford Ranger. The vehicle is believed to be Miller's, Nickson said.
After Elmore and the woman fled, about 40 to 50 law enforcement officers from State Police, the Pope County Sheriff's Office and the Russellville Police Department scoured the wooded area. When authorities located him, he complied and was arrested. Lack of area awareness, Nickson said, is probably what resulted in Elmore's arrest.
"He was out of his element," Nickson said. "He wasn't familiar with the Russellville wooded area."
Since the stabbing, Nickson said, Elmore shaved his head.
"I think he was trying to change his description," Nickson said. "He's well-known in Sebastian County."
While he walked to the jail, Elmore said that he was not surprised to have been captured.
"Sebastian County does their job well," he said. "I'm glad to be back (in Sebastian County). I haven't been here in months."
Nickson said he and fellow Sebastian County officials are thankful to State Police, Pope County deputies and Russellville police for helping to apprehend Elmore.
Elmore was booked into the Detention Center on the warrant for suspicion of first-degree battery and on a warrant for petition to revoke a suspended sentence. Elmore had previously been convicted on drug charges, Nickson said.