BAKERSFIELD, CA –
UPDATE:
The Bakersfield Californian
A Kern County sheriff’s deputy facing drug and gun charges who sparked a manhunt Tuesday after escaping from a patrol vehicle was recaptured Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
Deputy Edward Tucker, who had simply walked out of the downtown jail’s underground parking garage while deputies stood nearby, was found about 3:20 p.m. at a home in the 700 block of Arvin Street in the Oildale area, sheriff’s spokesman Ray Pruitt said.
His arrest ends a two-day search, and marks the third time Tucker has been arrested in the past week. He was booked at approximately 7 p.m. with bail set at $250,000.
How did Tucker escape? He complained of back pain and requested two sets of handcuffs, so the arresting officers obliged to make him comfortable. Sheriff Youngblood says he must have had a key to the handcuffs. He also complained of nausea, so of course the window was rolled down for him to have fresh air. Tucker simply stuck his arm out of the window, opened the door, and walked away while two deputies stood just a few feet away near another patrol car.
A sheriff’s deputy who was arrested over the weekend for brandishing a firearm to a group of children while under the influence of meth, escaped from the patrol car at the Central Receiving Facility around 9:45pm on Tuesday.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call reporting a man pulling out a gun in front of a home on Oct. 24.
When the deputies arrived, they saw 44-year-old deputy Edward Tucker, who was an employee with the department for nearly 19 years.
When they searched his vehicle they found a handgun loaded with training ammunition, four additional handguns, two shotguns, an assault rifle and a small amount of what was suspected to be methamphetamine, officials said.
Tucker was arrested for brandishing a firearm, being under the influence of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, driving under the influence, and felony willful cruelty to a child, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said.
He was booked into the downtown jail and he has not yet been charged.
Tucker was on approved leave and still employed by the sheriff’s department at the time of the arrest.
Tucker posted bail Tuesday afternoon. Later that day, someone called in a welfare check for Tucker. Shortly after, he was found at San Lauren Park with drugs, weapons and explosive making materials.
Parked under the jail in an underground parking lot, Tucker was in the backseat of a patrol car, handcuffed. He managed to remove his handcuffs, escape the vehicle, and fled the scene on foot.
Tucker is considered dangerous. Anyone who sees him is asked to call 9-1-1.
