MISSOULA – An alert gas station clerk in Superior helped authorities capture three Idaho Department of Corrections inmates who walked away from a work crew on the Montana-Idaho border.
Mineral County Sheriff Hugh Hopwood said his department, along with the Montana Highway patrol, arrested 36-year-old Gary Layman, 26-year-old Matthew Harris and 46-year-old Jeffrey Whipple were arrested Tuesday evening.
Hopwood said his department had searched drainages in the Superior area and also dropped off a flyer at a Superior gas station. About 30 minutes later, the clerk called and said the escaped convicts were outside the store.
Two were arrested at the gas station while a third was arrested about two hours later on the railroad tracks south of Superior.
The three men were repairing trails in the mountains over the weekend and were last seen at about 8:15 p.m. Sunday. They were discovered missing on Monday morning.
Layman and Harris had been serving sentences for burglary in Bannock County while Whipple was convicted of illegal possession of a weapon in Kootenai County.