On a regular basis Pima County leadership handcuffs the Sheriff’s Office through the budget, and now two suspects in a murder of an elderly man are on the loose thanks to the lack of funds.
According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, on August 26, 2019, at approximately 11:00 p.m., the Department received a call from a contracted transport company informing the department of the escape of 56 year-old Blane Barksdale and 59 year-old Susan Barksdale.
The two escapees were being transported to the Pima County Adult Detention Complex at the behest of the Pima County Attorney’s Office in relation to murder charges under a Tucson Police Department case.
The transport company is Security Transport Services (STS). The Barksdales escaped the custody of STS near St. Johns, Arizona after overpowering the STS guards in Utah and driving to the St. Johns area.
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According to sources, Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier is traveling abroad. Napier’s office released the following background:
STS was awarded the Pima County transport contract in November of 2016 and has been provided the option to continue its contractual obligations for two additional years, options set forth by procurement processes. When awarded the contract in late 2016, STS transported 15 inmates. In 2017, STS transported approximately 100 inmates with an approximate cost of $117,200.00 and in 2018 another 100 approximate inmates were transported with an associated approximate cost of $117,800.00. Through 2019, approximately 70 inmates have been transported with an associated approximate cost of $88,500.00.
From the Security Transport Services website:
White glove treatment is what we do. It’s who we are. A top-rated ground transportation company dedicated to ensuring an exceptional transportation experience that puts comfort, safety and timeliness first, we serve selective clients who demand only the best in transportation solutions. We sweat the small stuff — door-to-door — so you don’t have to.
Our diverse and reliable fleet features non-emergency medical vehicles, executive service vehicles for business travel and a variety of solutions for student transportation. At the intersection of impeccable service and unmatched excellence, you will always find Secure Transportation. It’s what drives us.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is one of eight counties in Arizona who utilize a private transport company. Cost for extradition is the largest reason the Sheriff’s Department utilizes a private transport company. The last extradition in which the Sheriff’s Department sent personnel to retrieve an inmate had a cost of just under $2500.00. Other reasons include distance, premium pay, and deadlines in relation to when the inmate is required in court. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department cannot utilize any other private transport company without being in violation of county procurement policy.
The current version of the contract with STS expires in November of 2019. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has suspended use of STS pending a review of the incident/escape.
At this time there is no indication the suspects are traveling to Pima County. We will continue to work closely with our federal and local partners, and will update you as we learn more. If you have any information in regard to the escape, you are urged to call 9-1-1 or 88 crime.
In an interview Thursday with Phoenix radio station, U.S. Marshall for Arizona David Gonzales said the Barksdales had an eight-hour head start on police. “When they took advantage of these two security guards; they tied them up, left in them in the middle of nowhere.” According to Gonzales, it took the guards about 2-3 hours to break out of the transport van.
Gonzales stated that the couple had been on the run before. “We were kind of shocked when (when officials first heard of the escape) because we initially arrested them back in May for the murder in Tucson. They were on the run and we tracked them to western New York and then we knew it’d just be a matter of time before they got back to Tucson to face charges,” explained Gonzales.
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