Courtesy of Union Parish Sheriffs Office
An extensive multi-agency manhunt concluded Friday afternoon with the capture of an escapee who walked away from a Union Parish Police Jury road department work site on Prentice Pardue Rd in Downsville.
At approximately 1030AM, the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified that Brook McKenzie Simpson, 36, had walked away from a trustee work detail on Prentice Pardue Road in the Point Community of Downsville. Simpson, a Union Parish Detention Center inmate, was working as a trustee assigned to the Union Parish Police Jury road department, who was working on a road improvement project. According to investigators, Simpson told his supervisor he needed to use the restroom before walking into a wooded area and failing to return.
UPSO deputies immediately responded and established a perimeter around the area. An extensive search involving numerous law enforcement officers from multiple agencies was quickly initiated. The Union Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness was contacted, and a Wireless Emergency Alert was issued to cell phones throughout the area with Simpson’s description. The Sheriff’s Office also distributed Simpson’s description through its social media platforms.
Search efforts included the deployment of the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office drone, K-9 teams, and specialized tracking K-9s from the David Wade Correctional Center. Additional UPSO deputies were requested, including the UPSO Reserve Division. Throughout the operation, deputies investigated numerous tips from citizens reporting possible sightings of Simpson. Each lead was quickly checked and cleared as the search continued.
Shortly after 4PM, Simpson was located in a wooded area, more than a mile from where he disappeared. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Union Parish Detention Center, where he was booked on additional charges related to his escape.
The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Louisiana Probation and Parole, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division, UPSO Reserve Division, Downsville Police Department, David Wade Correctional Center Tracking Team, Union Parish Detention Center, FBI, West Monroe Police Department, Union Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, and all the citizens who reported possible sightings. Despite very hot temperatures, the teamwork and cooperation among numerous law enforcement officers from multiple agencies throughout the more than five-hour search ultimately brought the operation to a successful conclusion.
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