Two fugitives - including a man who escaped from an eastern Nebraska jail - have been captured in western Iowa, authorities said.
The U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release Thursday that Cody Murphree and Derek Pederson were traced to an apartment in Council Bluffs and arrested without incident. A firearm was found outside in a vehicle that authorities have said was stolen in Stanton, Nebraska.
Murphree, 26, of Pilger, fled the Thurston County Jail in Pender around 1 p.m. Sunday. Murphree was awaiting sentencing on robbery and weapons convictions. Details about his escape haven’t been released.
Authorities said Murphree was joined by Pederson in breaking into a Stanton apartment, threatening the two people who lived there and stealing the car that was found outside the Council Bluffs apartment where the fugitives were found.
Thurston County Court records say Murphree is charged with escape and other crimes. Both men are charged in Stanton County with terroristic threats and other crimes. The records don’t list the names of attorneys who could comment for either man.
The records say Pederson, 29, lives in Wayne.
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