Tina Stone, of Tulsa,  has been arrested by authorities in Amarillo, Texas after being on the run for nearly a decade because a temporary warrant for her arrest expired despite authorities knowing of her whereabouts.
Under Senate Bill 1001, recently signed into law by Governor Mary Fallin, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ Office of the Inspector General is now able to issue permanent warrants to bring individuals who unlawfully leave a state facility back into custody.
Prior to the bill, if a judge didn’t issue a permanent warrant within 48 hours of an inmate’s escape the temporary arrest warrant issued by the Inspector General’s office would expire. Without the permanent warrant for arrest, outside law enforcement would not be aware of an inmate’s escape status.
Corrections Director Joe M. Allbaugh says “This law cuts through unnecessary hurdles and as we can see in this instance, brings individuals leaving custody before their sentence expires back to do their time.
Stone, 54, walked away from a Tulsa halfway house on Dec. 29, 1997. She moved to Amarillo and although she was arrested several times in Texas, the Inspector General’s office could not extradite her without a warrant. In Oklahoma, Stone was serving a seven-year sentence for second-degree forgery and possession of stolen property.
Senate Bill 1001 was signed into law by Gov. Fallin on June 6 with an emergency clause, allowing the law to go into effect upon the governor’s signature.