A former Texas correctional officer, Kenneth Wayne Leatherwood, 41, of Georgetown, Texas, was arrested in a remote area of Oregon after a multi-state manhunt. Leatherwood was wanted for the continuous sexual assault of two children.
Manhunt Details
The hunt began on June 15, when the Bastrop County District Attorney’s Office in Texas requested help from the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. Leatherwood had failed to appear in court for his trial and had taken a job in New Mexico before stealing a truck and fleeing to Oregon.
On June 16, deputies with the Curry County Sheriff’s Office recovered the stolen vehicle at the Lucas Lodge in Agness, Oregon. Leatherwood had already fled the lodge on foot into the dense forest before deputies arrived.
A search of his cabin turned up a firearm, survivalist books, and various personal items. Nearby, along a riverbank, searchers found a dog collar and a baseball cap believed to belong to him.
Arrest and Aftermath
Leatherwood was booked into a local jail, where he will remain through upcoming judicial proceedings and formal extradition back to Texas. The operation relied on extensive cross-agency collaboration, including the U.S. Marshals Service, the District of Oregon task force, and local investigators.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
