UPDATE:
Escaped inmate Antarian Wright, ADC #658088, was successfully recaptured without incident around 10 a.m. Thursday morning following an overnight manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
Wright, 30, had escaped from the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) Texarkana Work Release Center after failing to return from his job assignment at a bakery in Hope. He was last seen around 9:30 p.m. on June 4, leaving the bakery in a gray Ford Focus with a woman reportedly from the Texarkana area.
When correctional officers arrived at the job site around midnight and could not locate Wright, an alert was issued, and a coordinated search began.
Authorities with the Arkansas State Police, Department of Corrections, and the Texarkana Police Department tracked Wright to an apartment complex in Texarkana, where they located the vehicle linked to his escape at approximately 3:30 a.m. During the subsequent search of the area, Wright fled on foot into a wooded area.
Officers were able to apprehend him just hours later as he emerged from the woods near the complex.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) is actively searching for an inmate who escaped from custody during a work release assignment late Wednesday night.
According to ADC officials, 30-year-old Antarian Wright, an inmate assigned to the Texarkana Work Release Center, was discovered missing when staff arrived around midnight on June 4 to pick him up from his job site. Wright had been assigned to work at a bakery located at 2700 E. 3rd Street in Hope.
Surveillance footage revealed that Wright was last seen at approximately 9:30 p.m., leaving the bakery in a gray Ford Focus accompanied by a woman. Authorities believe the woman was last seen in Texarkana. At the time of his escape, Wright was wearing a black hoodie.
Wright was serving a 15-year sentence for aggravated robbery and theft by receiving, stemming from convictions in Columbia County. He had been eligible for parole consideration in July 2028.
