Escaped Prisoner Pleads Guilty to Assaulting a Federal Officer in Order to Evade Capture

TULSA, Okla.—Ronald Gene Thomas, 38, pleaded guilty in federal court today to the charge of Assaulting a Federal Officer, announced Danny C. Williams Sr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. United States District Court Judge John E. Dowdell will sentence Thomas on July 13, 2016.   

On June 8, 2015, Thomas escaped from the Jackie Brannon Correctional Center in McAlester, Oklahoma. A team of law enforcement officers were assembled to apprehend Thomas, which included: The United States Marshals Services in the Eastern and Northern District of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Investigators, and the Eastern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force.

On June 9, 2015, law enforcement tracked Thomas to a home in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Thomas was spotted driving a truck and ordered to surrender.  However, Thomas drove his truck straight at a Deputy United States Marshal in order to force him to get out of his way so he could evade capture. Thomas avoided capture that day, but he was apprehended days later after a high speed chase.

“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day they go to work in order to keep the public safe. The safety of those officers is a paramount concern to the United States Attorney’s Office,” stated United States Attorney Williams.

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Services in the Eastern and Northern District of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Investigators, and the Eastern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Neal C. Hong prosecuted the case.

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