WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - UPDATE 9:20 AM 11/23/2017 - The search continues for two escaped inmates from Wakulla County after one was arrested in North Carolina.
Authorities are still searching for Joel Teraill Cooper and Donald James Cotterman.
According to WBTV's report, the Rowan County Sheriff's Office believes all three men may have been involved in the theft of a 2007 Pacifica recreational vehicle that was stolen from Rowan County. Deputies said the vehicle was taken out of state.
The Sheriff's Office says that there is evidence showing the three men may have been involved in several property crimes in Georgia and Virginia as well as Rowan County.
Cooper and Cotterman may be in possession of stolen guns, including an AR-15 and a .22-caliber rifle, deputies say. They say both men were with Casey Brandon Martina, the inmate captured in Rockwell, NC, Tuesday, before his arrest.
Deputies believe the fugitives are possibly driving in a white commercial work truck with a Georgia tag. The truck is described as being white and having green panels on an oversized bed like one on a landscaping truck.
The Rowan County Sheriff's Office confirmed with WBTV that a truck used in an ATM theft in another North Carolina county Tuesday is the same truck stolen by the three escapees.
When deputies arrived to the incident, they found that the entire ATM machine had been stolen.
Surveillance video from the store shows two men using a logging chain to load the ATM into the back of a white four-door work truck. The logging chain was left behind at the scene, deputies say.
The men then left the store heading in an unknown direction. The fugitives may be running away from North Carolina in the western part of the state, according to the sheriff's office.
Cooper and Cotterman face felony larceny charges in Rowan County. Martina, was arrested Tuesday in Rockwell, NC.
People who see any of the escapees, or know of information concerning their whereabouts, are asked to use caution and contact the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office immediately at 850-926-0800 or 850-745-7100.
UPDATE 10:33 AM 11/21/2017 - An inmate that escaped from Wakulla County Jail last week has been arrested in North Carolina.
Casey Brandon Martina is one of the three inmates that escaped the jail through the ceiling Friday, November 17. He was captured in Rockwell, NC on Tuesday.
According to arrest documents, 25-year-old Martina was arrested by deputies just after 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday. He was reportedly found by deputies sleeping on a couch in a living room of a home after they received an anonymous tip.
When they searched Martina, they found the keys to a car in his pocket. The Rowan County Sheriff said they discovered the keys were to a 1999 black Jeep Cherokee stolen out of Virginia.
Inside the car, deputies found toolboxes, hardware and broken locks. The Sheriff speculates that the broken locks may have been from storage unit facilities Martina had broken into.
Deputies also discovered in two boxes of ammo, 22 cal. and other ammo inside the car though they never found a weapon.
Martina is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and as a fugitive from justice.
The Sheriff's Office says they have no reason to believe the other two men are hiding in the county but will actively pursue any leads should they come in. There's no word on why Martina was in Rowan County.
The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office says the escapees, Joel Teraill Cooper, Donald James Cotterman, and Martina managed to get through the ceiling of the law library last Friday and escaped by going across the building's roof.
Martina was being held in Wakulla County Jail for burglary, theft, vehicle theft, and criminal mischief. He is now being held on a $250,000 bond in the Rowan Detention Center.
The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office is working to get Martina extradited to Tallahassee.
UPDATE 10:08 AM 11/20/2017 - Following three days of searching, the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office is opening up a criminal investigation into the escape of three inmates through a jail ceiling.
The Sheriff's Office says the search for the escapees, Joel Teraill Cooper, Donald James Cotterman, and Casey Brandon Martina, has transitioned from an “initial search” phase to an “investigative” phase.
They say detectives are now breaking up the investigation into two parts.
The first part involves getting the charges levied against the escapees and any of their accomplices, and the second part involves finding the inmates through investigating any and all leads.
The Sheriff's Office says that at this point in the investigation, very few details will be released to the general public or the media to prevent the escapees from using that information to their advantage.
"It is requested that if a citizen is questioned by CID (Criminal Investigations Division) Detectives, that you keep that information confidential until this matter is resolved," deputies wrote in a press release.
As of now, WCSO says they can't predict how long it will take to capture the runaway inmates. They say they will work diligently to capture and prosecute each and every person involved in the escape.
Once the case is fully solved and closed, the Sheriff’s Office will make all of the information available to the public.
While the criminal investigation is ongoing, WCSO says their professional standards division will conduct an internal affairs investigation to see what policies may have lead to the escape to prevent incidents like this in the future.
If anyone has information beneficial to this matter, please call (850) 745-7100.
UPDATE 5:00 p.m. 11/17/17 - The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office says they are still actively searching for three escaped inmates from the Wakulla County Jail.
Deputies are now expanding their search in Wakulla County and are currently conducting follow-ups on leads and have multiple units spread out across the county.
However, they believe the inmates may have escaped the area.
As of now, they say they are collecting information from people known to associate with the inmates to develop leads.
They say they've been assisted by numerous agencies in their search with ground units from the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Leon County Sheriff's Office, and the Department of Corrections.
They have also used air patrol with assistance from FWC and LCSO.
WCSO warns not to approach these subjects. Instead, if you see them, call the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office (850) 745-7100. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (850) 574 TIPS (8477).
The Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office says the three inmates appear to have escaped early Friday morning through a breach of the ceiling of the law library.
"It appears that they then made there way across the building above the ceiling to an exit point where they made their escape from the facility," Wakulla County Sheriff Jared Miller wrote in a Facebook post.
The inmates escaped at 12:09 a.m. Friday.
The sheriff says there is a heavy law enforcement presence in the Rehwinkle and Tafflinger Road area.
"Many of the searches are taking place in heavily wooded areas and away from main highways so the many units involved may not be easily visible to you the citizens," he wrote, "but we assure you that we have a large force working non-stop until we locate these escaped inmates."
Miller said he has not issued orders for people to remain indoors but asks that people exercise caution and remain alert.
He said there is no indication the escaped inmates are armed.
The escaped inmates' descriptions and charges follow:
Joel Teraill Cooper – black male, 5’08”, 187 lbs. Date of birth: 12/7/1973. Charges: burglary of business
Donald James Cotterman – white male 5’11”, 156 lbs. Date of birth: 01/19/1973. Charges burglary, criminal mischief and weapon possession. He is also registered as a sexual offender.
In 1995, Cotterman was convicted of sexual battery on a victim under 16 in Leon County. Five years later, he was convicted of rape and another sexual offense in Ohio.
Casey Brandon Martina – white male, 6’02”, 210 lbs. Date of birth: 07/05/1992. Charges: burglary, theft, vehicle theft, and criminal mischief
All three suspects are wearing grey or white sweats and long johns.
A news release said the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office recommended that Wakulla County Schools be canceled on Friday.
The search for the inmates also caused other schools to close, including the Wakulla Christian School as well as the Wakulla Environmental Institute and the Tallahassee Community College Wakulla Center.
People who see any of the escapees, or know of information concerning their whereabouts, are asked to use caution and contact the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office immediately at 850-926-0800 or 850-745-7100.
Agencies assisting in the search include the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Corrections and the Leon County Sheriff's Office.
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