PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. — Authorities say all three of the escaped inmates from the Lansing Correctional Facility are in custody.
Two of the inmates were captured after a day-long standoff in Platte County.
Allen Hurst and Scott Gilbert were peacefully arrested around 5 p.m. Friday. However the third inmate, Randy Ridens, Sr., was on the run for much of Friday evening and was eventually captured in Topeka, Kan.
The Platte County prosecuting attorney said during the escape attempt, Hurst and Gilbert tried to kidnap a man who turned out to be the mayor of Edgerton. He said the suspects saw the mayor in town, drove up and pointed a gun at him and told him to get in the truck.
The pair drove away when the mayor refused to comply.
Hurst and Gilbert have been charged with 12 felonies each, including assaulting a police officer and attempted kidnapping. The two are being held on a $5 million cash bond.
“Let me just say this about the law enforcement officers who went into action on this case.
These officers showed true heroism refusing to yield in the face of multiple gun shots being fired at them and it’s a testament to their hard work that these suspects were brought into custody without anyone being seriously injured or killed.” said Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen.
Standoff in Clinton County
Negotiators with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department were talking to Hurst and Gilbert, who were hiding inside a home after authorities say the men fired shots at deputies in the Smithville area Friday morning.
The negotiations lasted for nearly two hours.
The home is located near the Clinton County-Platte County line. Officers used a megaphone to communicate with the men.
“The fact that they’re speaking with us is a positive sign, gives us hope for a peaceful resolution to this situation,” said Platte County Sheriff’s Department captain Erik Holland.
Authorities chased the men who they say were driving a stolen pickup truck.
During the pursuit, the men fired shots at the deputies. The men then reportedly became stuck at a retaining wall on the property of the home. That’s when authorities say the men bailed out of the truck, broke a window in the house and ran inside to hide. The residents were not at home at the time. They told police they had guns inside their home.
The men who escaped were all imprisoned due to burglary charges. The older man, Ridens, who was not inside the home, was charged in 1995 with fondling a child less than 14 years old.
The car police were chasing was stolen from the Lansing, Kan., area.
No officers were injured by the gunfire. Platte County Sheriff’s Office captain Erik Holland said deputies did not return fire with the suspects.
“Hopefully we can resolve this peacefully in the near future,” Holland said.
Authorities are also investigating a report that the men pointed a gun at a person in Edgerton.
Police have closed down Z Highway from 169 Highway to the Clinton County, Mo. line.
FOX 4 spoke to a woman who lives about two miles away from the home where the men are suspected to be holed up.
“I know exactly where it is, and it’s not that far,” said Nancy, the neighbor.
She said her husband left this morning to go to Smithville and had to take a different route because of the police activity.
“He just called me earlier when he left. He said, “lock everything up and get your gun out.”
North Platte Intermediate School was on lockdown due to the potential danger and investigation. The school is located in Edgerton, Mo.