JAY — An escaped inmate from Arkansas and his girlfriend were arrested by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office after it was discovered that the two had burglarized a home near a vacant residence where they were living.
On July 28, Derrick Estell, 33, escaped from the Garland County Jail with the help of his girlfriend, 25-year-old Tamara Lynn Upshaw, according to a Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office press release.
The pair were found after a resident on U.S. Highway 182 reported nearly $40,000 in jewelry and a $2,500 gun being stolen from their home. Just down the street, Estell and Upshaw were found inside a nearby vacant home.
Inside the home were sheets and within arms reach of where the pair were sleeping was the items reported stolen.
Both were charged with criminal mischief, burglary to a structure, larceny and larceny of a firearm.
Estell and Upshaw have been booked in the Santa Rosa County Jail with bonds of $140,000 each.
