Woman Sentenced to Prison for Assisting an Escape from Justice

FARGO – Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on September 30, 2015, Rachel Marie Chepulis, 27, Devils Lake, ND, was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to serve 40 months in prison for obstruction of justice and assisting an escape from custody. Judge Erickson also sentenced Chepulis to three years of supervised release and ordered her to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund for each charge.

On June 23, 2015, Chepulis pleaded guilty to two counts of a five-count Indictment. On March 13, 2015, Chepulis – a correctional officer at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center (“LRLEC”) in Devils Lake – assisted inmate Wesley E. Brown (III) escape from the facility. Brown had been incarcerated at LRLEC pending sentencing in federal court for charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and escape for a 2013 escape from Heart of America Correctional and Treatment Center in Rugby, ND.
The investigation revealed that Chepulis and Brown had planned the escape in advance. Chepulis advised Brown on how to evade security measures at LRLEC to escape from the facility, served as a lookout while Brown escaped, and picked Brown up near the LRLEC to ensure a speedy departure from the region. Chepulis and Brown evaded law enforcement for nearly three weeks before they were apprehended in Coos Bay, Oregon.

The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan A. Healy and David D. Hagler prosecuted the case.