Fugitives caught Wednesday in Swan Valley
Montana State Prison correctional officer Marty Mavrinac, left, and Lake County detention officer Gus Bliese, right, escort prisoner William John Willcutt into the Lake County Jail, after Willcutt was apprehended in a cabin in the Swan Valley at approximately 3:30 Wednesday afternoon. Ethan Smith/Leader
Lake County Leader web site exclusive
By Ethan Smith
Leader Staff
Two men who escaped from Montana State Prison more than a week ago were apprehended Wednesday, following a massive manhunt that involved more than a dozen agencies working with the Lake County Sheriff's office.
William J. Willcutt and Kelly Frank were arrested without incident at two separate sites Wednesday, and eventually transported back to MSP.
While on patrol Wednesday morning on Hwy. 83 in the Swan, Undersheriff Jay Doyle stopped to inspect a house owned by a relative of Willcutt. While there, he heard the sound of glass breaking at a house next door and went to investigate. He saw a window shade being drawn across the window, and immediately called for back-up.
After three other deputies arrived and surrounded the house, Frank was arrested at the scene after emerging from the house, unarmed. The fact that he chose a house next to one owned by Willcutt's relatives turned out to be a coincidence, Doyle said at a press conference Thursday.
Almost five hours later, a family in the Swan Valley noticed some food items sitting out on their table and a gun missing from their home, after returning to their home from working outside on their ranch. They immediately traveled to the command post set up by the Lake County Sheriff's office, and notified the agencies there that they believed Willcutt was in their home.
SWAT teams surrounded the house, and Willcutt was arrested without incident, despite being armed in the house, at about 3:30 p.m.
Both men had been on the run since escaping from work detail at the state prison, had eventually stolen a car, and reached the Swan Valley area earlier this week. A tip from Forest Service employees who were searching the area Tuesday led to a massive manhunt, after the two men were caught bathing in a creek near Swan Lake.
A full story will appear online and in next week's print edition, but details of the search and arrests were made public after the Leader went to press.