BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. – Cherokee County Sheriff's Deputies obtained information Wednesday afternoon that wanted fugitive James Eric Paul Thompson, 46, was hiding in a rural Baxter Springs home.
As deputies searched the residence, Thompson continued his attempt to hide, then refused to comply once he was detected. A Sheriff's K9 was deployed to assist in the apprehension.
In May 2022, Thompson pled guilty in Cherokee County District Court to felony criminal threat. As a result of the plea, Thompson, who was not in custody at the time of the hearing, was ordered to surrender himself to the Cherokee County Jail in August 2022, to then be transferred to the Kansas Department of Corrections and serve a 16-month sentence.
After failing to surrender, Cherokee County authorities sought an arrest warrant on Thompson for aggravated escape from custody.
Following his arrest on Wednesday, Thompson was transported to the Cherokee County Jail, where he remains without bond.
According to online records with the Kansas Department of Corrections, Thompson had previously been incarcerated in the Kansas Prison System after being convicted in Cherokee County on charges of aggravated assault, robbery, burglary and theft.
