Local fugitive from Jan. 3 car chase arrested in Oklahoma
By Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texas
Michael Jacob “Lucky” Aldridge, who was involved in a high-speed around Stephens County on Jan. 3, was arrested in Chickasha, Oklahoma, today, Monday, Jan. 29, and will be extradited to Stephens County.
Stephens County Sheriff Kevin Roach reported this afternoon that U.S. Marshals were searching for Aldridge in Oklahoma on behalf of local law enforcement.
“We felt like we knew where he was in Oklahoma,” Roach said. “But we had several addresses, so I turned this over to (the U.S. Marshals Service) a week or so ago. And they just notified me a while ago that they caught him at one of the addresses. But I don’t have details exactly where he is.”
According to Roach, Aldridge will have a chance to waive his rights to an extradition hearing and agree to be transferred back to Stephens County to face charges here, or he can choose to fight extradition.
He is facing two felony charges in Stephens County, evading arrest or detention with a vehicle with a previous convictions and aggravated assault on a public servant, Roach said.
The charges against Aldridge stem from an incident that started at the Breckenridge Walmart, where an alleged theft occurred on Jan. 3. According to Roach, Constable Wayne McMullen was at Walmart, where two people — Aldridge and Kari Haigler — were pointed out to him as alleged shoplifters. When McMullen tried to stop the subjects, they fled and were pursued around Stephens County by officers with the Breckenridge Police Department, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Aldridge avoided spikes that were placed on U.S. Highway 183 South in an attempt to stop the suspects. They ended up on U.S. Highway 180 East, where they crashed their vehicle into a pond at a water treatment plant off of the highway. They fled on foot at that time.
Late that night, Haigler was found hiding in a dumpster on FM 207, aka the Necessity Highway, southeast of Breckenridge. She was arrested and is still in the Stephens County Jail on charges of evading arrest.
The following morning, Aldridge reportedly stole a vehicle from a hunter out in the county. Again, he evaded officers by driving through pastures. Roach reported that Aldridge eventually made it into Breckenridge, and officers found the stolen pickup on North Albany Street. A witness said they saw Aldridge exit the vehicle, get picked up by someone in another vehicle and then leave the area.
He was listed on the Stephens County Crime Stoppers page.
