UPDATE (9/5/16 5:30 p.m.)
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Troy O’Brian and Melissa Sancillo have been captured in Illinois.
The duo was reportedly taken into custody after being pulled over near Minooka, Illinois on Monday and is being held in the Grundy County Jail.
O’Brian and Sancillo were still in a vehicle that had been reported as stolen from near Bridgeport, Nebraska on Friday.
O’Brian is being held on a charge of possession of a stolen vehicle.
Authorities did not know when O’Brian will return to Nebraska to face charges.
UPDATE (9/2/16 8:45 a.m.)
Western Nebraska authorities say they spotted an escaped Lincoln County inmate on Thursday evening.
The Morrill County Sheriff’s Office says it received a report at around 7:30 p.m. that the vehicle believed to have been stolen by Troy O’Brian was spotted near Bridgeport.
A deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver and a passenger, believed to be O’Brian and Melissa Sancillo, reportedly drove into a field and fled on foot. They have not been captured.
Authorities are urging people in the area to lock their doors and be vigilant. Report any suspicious activity or persons to local law enforcement.
Lincoln County authorities are on the hunt for an inmate who escaped while serving time at the Lincoln County Detention Center.
At around 3:25 p.m., on September 1, a maintenance worker at the Lincoln County Courthouse discovered that his car, which had been parked on the north side of the detention center, was missing. The worker told deputies that he had briefly left the keys in it.
Authorities ordered an immediate lockdown of the LCDC, and it was discovered that an inmate, 42-year-old Troy M. O’Brian, of Gary, Indiana, was missing. Further investigation revealed that O’Brian had walked off of his work detail at the Lincoln County Courthouse. It is believed he then stole the vehicle and left in an unknown direction.
What makes the escape even more puzzling, is O’Brian only had eight hours left on his sentence, according to the sheriff’s office, and was scheduled to be released at 11:30 p.m., on Thursday.
O’Brian is believed to be driving a stolen white 2011 Toyota Corolla four-door, with Nebraska license plate, 15-D614.
He may be in the company of Melissa L. Sancillo, also of Gary, Indiana.
Deputies say the investigation is ongoing.
If you spot O’Brian or the vehicle, call 911 immediately.
According to jail records, O’Brian was originally charged with fraud, possession of a stolen vehicle and obstruction in July.