U.S. Forest Service Archives

UPDATE: One southeast Missouri jail escapee captured in New Mexico; two others at large and considered dangerous

January 21, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The U.S. Marshals Service says one of the men who escaped Saturday from southeast Missouri’s Iron County jail has been captured in New Mexico. While the other two suspects remain at large, the Marshals have arrested some of their family members.

U.S. Marshals, Iron County Sheriff’s deputies, Ironton Police and others work at a command post at the Iron County Courthouse in Ironton (January 16, 2021 photo courtesy of Ironton Police Facebook page)

The Marshals say escapee Tracy Brown and his girlfriend were arrested late Wednesday night at a gas station in Carrizozo, New Mexico. The arrests were made by the U.S. Marshals Southwest Investigation Fugitive (SWIFT) team.

The Marshals in St. Louis learned earlier that Brown and his girlfriend had left Denver and were heading to New Mexico. The SWIFT team made the arrests, when Brown and his girlfriend pulled into the gas station. New Mexico State Police were involved in the arrests as well.

According to U.S. Marshals, after being arrested, Brown and his girlfriend told authorities that Brown and the other two escapees, Dwight Abernathie and Samuel Gillam, drove to Colorado together after escaping from the jail in Ironton. Brown told police that the three split up in Denver.

The Marshals confirm that information obtained from interviewing Brown and his girlfriend developed additional leads, leading to arrests of family members of Abernathie and Gillam. It’s unclear tonight who else was arrested and what federal or state charges they could be facing.

Brown, Abernathie and Gillam were jailed in Iron County on local charges. While Brown was jailed on a burglary charge, Gillam was jailed for kidnapping and Abernathie for sodomy and assault.

The U.S. Marshals Service in St. Louis has been in contact with Marshals in Colorado, regarding Gillam and Abernathie. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to their arrests.

The Marshals have been leading the search for the three, and emphasize that Gillam and Abernathie should be considered dangerous.

U.S. Marshals say the three moved a block wall to escape. Marshals say the inmates escaped at about 4:30 on Saturday morning, and the Iron County Sheriff requested assistance from the Marshals at about 1 p.m. Saturday.

U.S. Marshals and Iron County Sheriff’s deputies had been searching in southeast Missouri, including the heavily-wooded Mark Twain National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service and numerous other agencies had been assisting in the search in southeast Missouri.

U.S. Marshals: three southeast Missouri jail escapees should be considered dangerous

January 18, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The U.S. Marshals are now leading the search for three jail escapees in southeast Missouri’s Iron County, and the Marshals emphasize the three should be considered dangerous. A unified command post has been established at the Iron County Courthouse in Ironton.

Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS reports authorities are offering a $5,000 reward for information on the escapees: Tracy L. Brown, Dwight Abernathie and Samuel Gillam. The Marshals say all three were jailed on local charges. Gillam was jailed on a kidnapping charge, while Abernathie was jailed for assault and sodomy. Brown was in jail for a burglary charge.

U.S. Marshals, Iron County Sheriff’s deputies, Ironton Police and others have set up a command post at the Iron County Courthouse in Ironton (January 16, 2021 photo courtesy of Ironton Police Facebook page)

U.S. Marshals say the three moved a block wall to escape. Authorities are urging residents to lock their doors and to remain vigilant.

Marshals say the inmates escaped at about 4:30 on Saturday morning, and the Iron County Sheriff requested assistance from the Marshals at about 1 p.m. Saturday. The Marshals have sent personnel from Cape Girardeau and St. Louis to the area.

U.S. Marshals and Iron County Sheriff’s deputies are being assisted by Ironton Police, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Pilot Knob Police and by the U.S. Forest Service, Missouri State park rangers and the Missouri Department of Corrections.

The search area includes the heavily-wooded Mark Twain National Forest.

President signs Blunt-backed bill to help spruce up national park system

August 4, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

President Donald Trump has signed into law today a landmark bill designed to give the national park system billions of dollars over five years to reduce a maintenance backlog. It provides $900 million annually in oil and gas revenues for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which protects historical and environmentally-significant sites. The measure will help the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others.

Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt

The bipartisan plan is also reportedly expected to create an additional 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.

It has been heralded as the most significant conservation bill in a generation. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, says the legislation, dubbed the Great American Outdoors Act, will help to make the second century of the park system different from the first century.

“The park system, as we now know it, is a little more than a hundred years old. Some of these maintenance issues are decades old, maybe 50 years old, maybe half of the life of the entire park service,” Blunt says on the U.S. Senate floor.

The package will provide permanent aid for the Land and Wildlife Conservation Fund. Blunt says the fund has benefited the Mark Twain National Forest, the Ozark National Scenic River, the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in mid Missouri’s Rocheport, and Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield near southwest Missouri’s Republic.

Blunt, who co-sponsored the plan, says the funding will help to bolster Missouri’s outdoor recreation industry.

“The Outdoor Recreation Industry Association says that we generate about almost $15 billion in our state in consumer spending, about 133,000 jobs are created in Missouri because of outdoor recreation,” says Blunt. “This is obviously not a normal year. So, anything we can do to encourage people to use these facilities in a better way is important.”

In celebration of the legislation becoming law, U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced that tomorrow will be a fee free day at national parks and other public lands. Beginning next year, fee free day will be August. 4.

Missouri lawmakers draw attention to feral hog issue during budget hearing (AUDIO)

January 28, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Two southern Missouri state lawmakers are unhappy with a letter the state Department of Agriculture (MDA) director has sent to the U.S. Forest Service, in support of their decision to close the Mark Twain National Forest to feral hog hunting.

State Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, speaks at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on August 22, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The issue came up during Monday afternoon’s Missouri House Budget Committee hearing in Jefferson City, when State Reps. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, and Scott Cupps, R-Shell Knob, mentioned the issue to MDA Director Chris Chinn, during her budget presentation.

Chinn testifies that Oklahoma has gone away from an approach Missouri was using, including hunting.

“One of the things that we learned from them (Oklahoma) is that, that above-all approach that we had been taking, they had tried as well and it didn’t work,” Chinn tells Representative Ross.

“Especially not when your (Missouri) Department of Conservation is actively working against the private landowners,” Ross responded.

The above-all approach that Director Chinn is referring to is a policy that some hunters and ranchers near the Mark Twain National Forest want to continue. It involved trapping by Conservation officials, but also hunting by residents.

Ross, who chairs the House Special Committee on Government Oversight, serves on the Budget Committee. He questions Chinn’s letter.

“That’s what really surprised me is that your agency (MDA) would take a position that was in directly in opposition of working with the private landowners, following along with the misguided approach the Missouri Department of Conservation is now pushing,” Ross tells Director Chinn.

Ross says his Texas County constituents support eradicating feral hogs, by hunting. He and Cupps say residents should be allowed to hunt for the hogs on public land.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says allowing residents to hunt feral hogs has increased the number of the animals, along with their range. Conservation agents say there have been illegal releases by people who wanted to hunt feral hogs for recreation.

The Conservation Department has launched a new plan, which aims to eliminate feral hog damage by trapping and killing the hogs themselves.

Director Chinn says feral hogs are a threat to Missouri livestock. She backs the Forest Service’s decision to close the Mark Twain National Forest to feral hog hunting.

Chinn testifies that MDA’s job, through its Animal Health division, is to protect Missouri from diseases. She says if African swine fever were to hit Missouri through the feral hog population, it would be a threat to livestock producers and agribusiness.

“A lot of these livestock eat the corn and the soybean that are raised on many of these farms, and if we should have a disease threat like that hit Missouri, it’s not only going to hurt the livestock industry, it’s going to hit our row crop as well as our grain elevators,” Chinn testifies.

Chinn emphasizes that what’s been done previously isn’t working.

After several minutes of questioning, State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Agriculture, asked Ross and Cupps to save the feral hog discussion for another date, when both MDA and the Conservation Department can attend. Kelly wanted Chinn to have time to present her budget.

The issue has been a big one at the Missouri Capitol. Just last week, about 150 southern Missouri hunters and ranchers protested quietly outside the governor’s office, saying the MDC-federal approach won’t work.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Chris Chinn, which was recorded at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on January 27, 2020: