Four Escapes in Eight Months from Oklahoma Jail
After slipping away from Oklahoma’s Caddo County courthouse January 22, 2025, detainee Levi Yeahpau spent a day on the run until he was recaptured. His uncle, Daron Highwalker, said that the detainee “basically [] walked out both front doors, and he just walked out with shackles on and an orange jumpsuit.”
The office of County Sheriff Spencer W. Davis said that Yeahpau “was in custody while in the courtroom, and during the courtroom proceedings there was a miscommunication about who was supervising [him]. [He] took advantage of this situation and walked out of the courthouse before being noticed.” The statement added that Yeahpau “is a fentynol (sic) addict and is currently going through withdrawals.”
He was no longer wearing either the jumpsuit or the shackles when deputies caught up with him and re-arrested him later that day. Two women, Tana Circles and Traesha Hopgood, were also arrested and charged with harboring the fugitive. His escape was the fourth in six months by a detainee at the County Jail, which is connected to the courthouse.
Overnight on May 8, 2024, detainees Hector Hernandez, Michael Brown and Davantae Winters went missing. They were found the next day hiding in an Oklahoma City cemetery and taken back into custody by officers with the state Highway Patrol, Oklahoma City Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. As with Yeahpau’s escape, Anadarko Police and Bureau of Indian Affairs agents also assisted in the search.
Hernandez was in the jail on a charge of aggravated trafficking of illegal drugs, while Brown was faced an aggravated assault charge and Winters was charged with first-degree murder. Neither was still listed on the jail’s inmate roster as of February 3, 2025. Yeahpau was still listed, facing a charge of destroying evidence.
Additional sources: KFOR, KOKH, KWTV
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login