MIAMI, Okla. — An inmate who escaped from an Oklahoma county jail was apprehended Wednesday while he was drinking a beer at a restaurant 50 miles away, authorities said.
Charles Craig “Chuck” Chance, 50, of Welch, Oklahoma, was arrested while sipping a brew at a Chili’s restaurant in Pryor, KOKI-TV reported.
According to a Facebook post from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Chance escaped from the county jail early Saturday. In another Facebook post on Wednesday, the sheriff’s office announced that Chance had been arrested.
It is unclear how Chance got to Pryor, which is 52 miles southwest of Miami, where the Ottawa County Jail is located.
He was being held in Ottawa County on charges of possession of stolen property and uttering a forged document -- a forged check -- according to the sheriff’s office. Chance was also being held for Newton County for unauthorized use of a credit or debit card.
Chance was arrested earlier this year on a charge of stealing an automobile, according to Ottawa County online court records.
“We do apologize for the late notifications,” Ottawa County Sheriff David Dean wrote in a Facebook post later Saturday morning. “However, at 2 in the morning while on a manhunt, posting to social media is not on our mind.”
Chance was booked into the Mayes County Jail and is facing charges of escaping jail after being convicted of at least two felonies, public intoxication, grand larceny and being a fugitive from justice, according to KOKI.
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