Escaped Vinita Prisoner, His Mother And Her Co-Workers In Custody

A Vinita escaped convict has been captured. Craig County officials confirm William Stewart, 44, was taken back into custody just before midnight Monday. They found him in a wooded area about five miles from the minimum-security facility.

Stewart's mother and two of her co-workers were also arrested in connection to the escape, according to a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Stewart walked away from the Northeast Oklahoma Correctional Center between 6 and 8 p.m. Sunday. He apparently called his mother, Pauline Suddarth, and asked her to come pick him up. Instead - she sent two co-workers to get him, according to Alex Gerszewski, ODOC.

Gerszewski said those two women were spotted driving around the correctional facility Sunday evening after Stewart's disappearance. Authorities became suspicious and questioned them, taking them into custody for possession of marijuana.

They have been identified as Sheila Mitchell and Tiffany Blair.

8/8/2016 Related Story: Inmate Walks Away From Vinita Prison

The women reportedly confessed that they worked with Stewart's mother and had been sent to pick him up, Gerszewski said. Stewart's mother was later arrested in Salina for suspicion of harboring an escaped felon.

Stewart has a long history of convictions mostly for burglary and fraud. He will be sent to a higher-security facility, according to authorities.