THOMPSON FALLS - It was a stressful 24 hours in Sanders County earlier this week after a Michigan murder suspect escaped custody in Plains, putting the entire area on high alert for someone who was the subject of a nationwide manhunt.
When homicide suspect Chadwick Shane Mobley escaped in Sanders County on Sunday, it was largely thanks to the community that the Sheriff's Office was able to find Mobley and get him back into custody within two days.
“The community pulled together, and I’ve seen it before. It’s a good community and everyone wants to help,” Sanders County Sheriff Sean Fielders told MTN News.
The incident happened as Mobley was being taken from Lincoln County down to Missoula.
The driver of the private transportation company stopped for gas in Plains and left the vehicle unlocked, which led to the suspect escaping on foot.
“[From] there on out the manhunt was on. We had a lot of support from Highway Patrol, Plains Police Department, called out several of my deputies,” Sheriff Fielders said.
Along with the multi-agency effort, the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office used social media to get the word out, and within the hours spent during the search, the office had more than 80 tips called in.
“Public is huge, those are our eyes and ears. So, we got the word out as fast as we could,” Sheriff Fielders explained.
The suspect was caught on the water with a stolen canoe but had not committed any serious crimes while on the run, and did not struggle with arrest, according to Sheriff Fielders.
He added that using a private transportation company isn’t unusual for this type of situation — but losing a suspect is uncommon.
“It’s good to have him in custody, and we’ll get him shipped out properly and out of the county as soon as possible,” Sheriff Fielders concluded.
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