By MATT THACKER
A nationwide manhunt continues for three men who escaped from a medium-security prison near Tell City.
New details are emerging about the violent escape and the route the men have taken through Southern Indiana and Kentucky.
Bobby Cockerell, 31, of Jeffersonville; Christopher Marshall, 49, of Monon; and Jerry Sargent, 59, of Dryer Ridge, Ky., allegedly assaulted an employee at the Branchville Correctional Facility and used pliers to cut through a fence, according to Indiana State Police.
The prison worker had been struck in the head with a hammer and was bound and gagged.
State police believe the men hid out in the area near the prison until about 3 a.m. Saturday morning. According to an ISP press release, that is when the men stole a 1989 Ford F-250 extended cab truck from St. Croix, approximately five miles north of the prison. The vehicle was reported missing later that morning.
On Sunday afternoon, Kentucky State Police found the stolen truck on Interstate 71 near the 59 mile marker. The trio apparently drove until the truck ran out of gas and then left on foot.
U.S. Marshals searched the area all night. Helicopters and search dogs were called out to assist in the search, but no one was located, Carroll County Sheriff Ben Smith said.
“It was just like they vanished,” he said.
Smith believes the men walked across open field to the small town of Sanders, where they spent Sunday night sleeping on hay in a barn.
“Sargent seems to be the ring-leader,” Smith said. “He has lived off the land and has military experience. This guy knows when to move, how to move and where to move.”
They spent the night observing the property of Richard and Keith Marshall, who have owned the farm there for years, Smith said.
The brothers were aware of the search for the fugitives and had taken the keys out of their trucks and farming equipment, which they normally do not do, Smith said.
The next morning at about 9:30 a.m., 59-year-old Richard walked outside about 200 feet to his tractor when he was attacked. Police say the eldest brother was hit in the head using clubs.
The three fugitives then went inside the house and attacked 56-year-old Keith, who tried to fight back until he realized he was outnumbered and surrendered. They tied him up and covered his head.
Smith said the men threatened to kill the brothers, so they gave them more than $7,000 cash, at least 10 guns — ranging from high-powered rifles to shotguns and pistols — and new clothing.
A third brother, Barry Marshall, 50, walked into the house not knowing what had happened and was held at gunpoint by one of the fugitives.
They left in a 1989 four-wheel drive Ford Ranger pickup truck with an extended cab. Smith said they filled the truck with gas before leaving.
“I don’t think they intend to be taken,” Smith said. “They have everything at their disposal. They chose to take an arsenal, not just guns.”
Keith Marshall was released from a local hospital after receiving treatment for injuries to the head and arm. He had to have staples to close a wound to his head. Richard Marshall was flown to University of Louisville Hospital, where he remains in serious but stable condition.
The fugitives have not been seen since they fled Sanders.
