On Sept. 21, the 113-day nationwide manhunt for escaped convict Mario Che-Tiul ended when he was arrested at 1:30 p.m., when the U.S. Marshals Service surrounded the property near an apartment Che-Tiul had been living in. 

He was captured without incident after authorities were led to suspect that Che-Tiul had been living in the borough, based on an investigation by the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia.

“This latest capture of an escaped prisoner from Missouri should underscore a very clear message, and one that applies globally: our efforts never cease, ever,” said Eric Gartner, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  

The 34-year-old Che-Tiul, who had been charged with incest and first-degree child molestation, escaped from the Barry County Jail in Cassville, Mo. on June 1, and was the only one of seven prisoners who fled from the correctional facility that day to not be captured. According to authorities, Che-Tiul lured two correctional officers into his jail cell by pretending to be sick. The officers were then ambushed by the six other inmates, who then broke out of the jail with keys they had stolen from the officers, who sustained injuries. Three prisoners were immediately apprehended and three more were captured the next morning. 

Meanwhile, Che-Tiul stole clothes and changed out of his prison uniform as he was leaving the jail and began a three-and-a-half-month escape. According to Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark, Che-Tiul had been employed as a laborer in Chester County. 

Che-Tiul was charged as a fugitive of justice and is being temporarily housed at Chester County Prison, where he is being reprocessed before he is taken back to Missouri. If he is convicted of molestation and incest, Che-Tiul could face a maximum penalty of 30 years.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force is a team of law enforcement officers led by U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia and surrounding counties and is charged with tracking down and arresting violent crime fugitives. Membership agencies include the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania State Parole Officers, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General Agents, and Bucks County Sheriffs.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].