Jail escapees caught in Marion
A pair of inmates who escaped from the Webster County Jail at Dixon last Wednesday evening were captured within hours by Marion Policeman Chuck Hoover.
Jackie L. Beasley, 19, and Brian A. Schwartz, 21, were apprehended about 1 a.m., while driving a stolen Nissan Altima.
Officer Hoover had been notified earlier in the night about the escape in Webster County, which occurred at the restricted custody center of the jail at about 8 p.m. Police suspected that Beasley, who is from the Frances area, might head this way.
Hoover was patrolling on East Bellville Street when he recognized the vehicle reportedly taken from near the jail after the escape. The officer met the car coming from Marion and heading out of town. He turned around in his cruiser and followed the vehicle which turned left at Marion Feed Mill onto Old Shady Grove Road then onto Carr Street, a dead end.
Marion Police Chief Ray O'Neal, who had been notified at his home as soon as Hoover reported seeing the vehicle, was responding to the scene as Hoover made contact with the escapees.
"He was on full alert," O'Neal said about the officer making the stop. "He fully expected a foot chase after they turned onto the dead end street."
Ironically, Hoover was able to take the men into custody without any resistance whatsoever, O'Neal said.
"It was raining and they never got out of the car until (Hoover) ordered them out," O'Neal said. "He had them both under arrest when I arrived, which had only been about 10 minutes from the time I got the call. Everything went well."
Beasley was in jail on a theft charge and Schwartz was incarcerated on a burglary charge.
In April, Beasley pleaded guilty to complicity to the theft of two vehicles in Marion in July 2008. Beasley had a role in the taking of a truck belonging to William Sanders from the Conrad's Food Store parking lot and an SUV from the home of Kara Hatfield. Beasley was also believed to have been involved in auto thefts in Princeton.
Crittenden Circuit Judge Rene Williams ordered Beasley to pay restitution to the vehicle owners and to serve two years and 48 days. Precise information was not available, but it appears that Beasley was actually serving time in the Webster County Jail due to his conviction here last spring.
Last week’s brief escape led to charges of second-degree escape and auto theft against the two men. Both are Class D felonies.
State police reports say the two men were able to make it outside of a fenced area at the Webster County Jail and get away initially on foot before stealing a car. During their escape, a surveillance camera was disturbed which alerted jail staff. The facility was quickly put on lockdown and a head count was conducted.
It was immediately discovered that one inmate was missing. Further investigation by the staff and the Kentucky State Police revealed that a second inmate was also gone. About five hours later, the escapees were caught in Marion.

Local farmers struggle with wet weather
Farmers struggling to harvest crops against continued rainfall
If you see farmers racing into their fields as soon as the weather breaks, find no alarm in their actions; although it is later than normal for the rush to harvest.
Recent rains have prevented a great number of acres of corn and soybeans from being harvested. Therefore, it means a later opportunity to plant winter wheat, thus lower yields at harvest time. A drying spell early this week was little respite from the continuous showers, which helped produce bumper crops this year, but leaves farmers struggling to get their grain out of the fields.
According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, less than 50 percent of the state’s corn has been harvested and less than 20 percent of its soybeans. Those figures are well below the five-year average for harvesting of crops at this time of year. The corn crop is considered to be 93 percent good or excellent while soybeans are 89 percent good or excellent.
According to University of Kentucky Agriculture Weather, Crittenden and the immediate area has received 1.44 inches of rain over the past week or so and 9.55 inches in the past month. That brings the annual total of 47.17 inches, which is seven inches above normal.
“Everybody is behind,” said Crittenden County Agriculture Extension Agent Corey Payne. “Some are having big problems with corn molding and I have heard of some cases, even in the county, where the kernel on the ear is starting to spout it has been so wet.”
Payne says that corn must be at 13 percent moisture to go to market. Right now, much of the county’s standing corn has greater than 20 percent moisture content.