Tennessee Bureau of Investigation/Twitter
Escape fugitive Curtis Watson after his Sunday-morning capture.
In a series of weekend tweets, state agencies presented a pulse-pounding, up-to-the-moment look at the final capture of escaped fugitive Curtis Watson.
Watson’s capture came Sunday after he was spotted on a home surveillance camera in Henning.
ALERT: Confirmed siting of Curtis Ray Watson in Henning, TN. He has changed his clothing as can be seen in the photos provided by a resident who notified authorities that they’d spotted him on their property. Residents in the area should be ALERT and VIGILANT pic.twitter.com/RJJB255kVj
— Dept of Correction (@TNTDOC1) August 11, 2019
State Agencies (Pretty Much) Live-Tweeted Watson Capture (2)
Watson was in his sixth year of a 15-year sentence for aggravated assault when he escaped from the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning Wednesday, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC).
West Tennessee Correctional Administrator Debra Johnson was found dead in her residence at the penitentiary shortly before noon on Wednesday. Officials discovered Johnson was missing from his farm-work detail and suspected he played a role in Johnson’s death.
A manhunt for Watson ensued but was fruitless. As of Saturday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said it had received 369 tips on Watson but no credible sightings. The TDOC added $4,500 to a reward for information leading to Watson’s arrest, bringing that reward total too $57,000 on Saturday afternoon.
UPDATE: On day 4 of search —
-369 tips
-0 credible sightings
-Curtis Watson believed to still be in the surrounding area
-Reward remains at $52,500
-Those in immediate area are urged to remain alert, check on neighbors and continually check your property.
-Tips: 1-800-TBI-FIND pic.twitter.com/kLZGEoyw7l— TBI (@TBInvestigation) August 10, 2019
State Agencies (Pretty Much) Live-Tweeted Watson Capture
NEW: The reward for the capture and conviction of Curtis Watson now stands at $57,000. @TNTDOC1 has added $4,500 to the total. Debra Johnson's distinguished career with TDOC spanned 38 years of service to the people of Tennessee.
Call 1-800-TBI-FIND with information! pic.twitter.com/h22rdwZCf3
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) August 10, 2019
State Agencies (Pretty Much) Live-Tweeted Watson Capture (3)
Early Sunday morning, TDOC posted photos and video from a residential surveillance camera showing Watson in camouflage clothes rummaging through an outdoor refrigerator (below).
NEW VIDEO: A home security camera captured this video of Curtis Watson this morning in the 500 block of Graves Ave. in Henning. pic.twitter.com/KPkg8UwKwy
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) August 11, 2019
State Agencies (Pretty Much) Live-Tweeted Watson Capture (4)
”Residents in the area should be ALERT and VIGILANT,” reads the TDOC’s Twitter post Sunday morning.
At 11:23 a.m., a TBI tweet showed a photo of a haggard-looking Watson in the back seat of a police car. The tweet read “Captured!”
CAPTURED! pic.twitter.com/k2kay8YD7I
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) August 11, 2019
State Agencies (Pretty Much) Live-Tweeted Watson Capture (6)
Later, TBI posted a video of Watson right after his capture (below).
NEW: Here’s a bit of video right after Curtis Watson was taken into custody! pic.twitter.com/QVpLspJbek
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) August 11, 2019
State Agencies (Pretty Much) Live-Tweeted Watson Capture (7)
At 4:33 p.m. Sunday, the TBI tweeted another photo of Watson being walked into a detention facility in Tipton County.
UPDATE: A total of 430 tips came in during the search for fugitive Curtis Watson. pic.twitter.com/v6t1AutShN
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) August 11, 2019
State Agencies (Pretty Much) Live-Tweeted Watson Capture (8)