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Stacy Lee Drake, a man linked to at least three murders in Oklahoma and Alabama, was arrested in Arkansas on Thursday. Drake, who has a history of escalating violent behavior, is suspected in the killing of Russell Andrews, an Alcoholics Anonymous counselor in Tuscaloosa County, and a man and woman in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. The suspect, whose lifestyle includes using false names and having no fixed address, is also a person of interest in the death of Phillip Emerson in El Reno, Oklahoma.
Violent Suspect Linked to Multiple Slayings Arrested in Arkansas
Stacy Lee Drake, 50, linked to at least three homicides in Oklahoma and Alabama, was apprehended Thursday in Arkansas, authorities reported. The arrest was made by the Morrilton Police Department and Arkansas State Police, stated the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Drake was last seen outside a motel in Morrilton, Arkansas and is believed to be armed and dangerous.
The Oklahoma law enforcement agency thanked all agencies involved in the arrest. Arkansas State Police had earlier alerted residents in and around Morrilton about Drake’s presence, stating he had purchased camping gear and seemed to remain in the area, about 50 miles northwest of Little Rock.
Drake appeared transient with previous addresses in Oklahoma and Arizona. He’d spent recent days in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, where he allegedly killed a man and woman and stole a car in Sallisaw, near U.S. Highway 64. Sallisaw is about 130 miles west of Morrilton.
In Tuscaloosa County, Drake is accused of killing Alcoholics Anonymous counselor Russell Andrews, 62, on or about May 14. Investigators knew Drake’s identity within 24 hours but kept it confidential to maintain an advantage.
“Drake’s criminal history shows escalating violent behavior,” said Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Capt. Jack Kennedy. “He’s responsible for at least three, possibly four homicides in the last two months. It wouldn’t be surprising if other unsolved homicides in other jurisdictions are linked to him.”
Drake is also a “person of interest” in the death of 56-year-old Phillip Emerson, in El Reno, Oklahoma, according to Assistant Police Chief Kirk Dickerson.
Police initially investigated an “unattended death” before concluding that Emerson had suffered fatal injuries consistent with homicide.
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