Photo: Stephan Richard Whaples
Authorities responding to a residence on County Road 27 in Baxter County nabbed a well-known fugitive from justice Wednesday afternoon.
Stephan Richard Whaples was arrested after almost a month on the lam, after he failed to appear in Baxter County Circuit Court.
Deputies from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office were investigating an Arkansas Game & Fish Violation, when they arrived as the County Road 27 location and noticed a man in the yard, who they quickly recognized as Whaples, according to Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery.
Whaples has a lengthy history of fleeing from law enforcement dating back to 2011, when he was the subject of four manhunts in less than a year. Montgomery says the deputies took quick action to arrest Whaples, and he was taken into custody without incident. The suspect authorities were searching for was not located at the property.