News Release



For further information please contact: Sergeant Larry W. Plunkett (573) 840-9500



2005-11-01

November 18, 2005





EMPHASIS: Escapee from Iowa Captured in Southeast Missouri





At approximately 0747 hours, November 18, 2005, an escapee from the Iowa Department of Corrections, Robert Joseph Legendre, 27, was captured without incident by the Steele Police Department at an area truck stop located near Interstate 55 in Pemiscot County, Missouri. Legendre was captured after the Missouri State Highway Patrol received information the escapee and a stolen vehicle were possibly at a truck stop in Steele, Missouri.



Upon receiving the information of the escapee’s whereabouts, the trooper reported the information to the Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Department, who immediately dispatched the information to area law enforcement agencies. As the Steele Police Department approached the scene, Legendre was observed standing near the stolen vehicle and was immediately taken into custody without incident. Deputies from the Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Department and troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrived a short time later and provided assistance in the apprehension and provided transportation to the Pemiscot County Jail in Caruthersville, Missouri.



The Patrol and its Division of Drug and Crime Control are assisting in the investigation and processing the scenes at both Marston and Steele. Legendre is believed to have stolen the vehicle he was captured with at a cafe in Marston, Missouri earlier in the day and may have discarded another stolen vehicle from the St. Louis area.



Captain George Ridens commented, “We’re very pleased with the quick response and teamwork that every agency provided in this capture. This type of cooperation may very well have prevented a much more serious event from taking place.”



Legendre is being held in the Pemiscot County Jail awaiting processing that will allow his transportation to the city of St. Louis where he is facing charges of robbery, first degree assault, and armed criminal action. Extradition hearings to Iowa are expected to follow the investigation by officers in Missouri.



The charges for which Legendre has been accused are mere accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence of guilt must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty it is to determine guilt or innocence.



For more information concerning this apprehension, please contact Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell at 573-333-4101 or Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Larry W. Plunkett, Jr., Public Information and Education Officer for Troop E , at 573-840-9500.