GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A convicted murderer's getaway from a West Michigan prison was brought to a halt when he was was arrested in Indiana after allegedly stealing an idling vehicle from a parking lot, authorities said. 
 
 Michael Elliot, 40, escaped from the Ionia Correctional Facility some time around 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, authorities said. Officials said Elliot, who was serving multiple life sentences for four murders, fled the maximum-security prison by creating holes at the bottoms of two perimeter fences. 
 
 A jury found Elliot guilty of killing four people in 1993 in Gladwin County. He was sentenced in 1994 to life in prison without parole for four counts of first-degree murder, arson and entering without breaking. 
 
 While on the road, authorities said Elliot used a box cutter to abduct a woman in the 600 block of West Main Street in Ionia and carjack her Jeep Liberty. She drove him to Middlebury, Ind., where she was able to call police around midnight while locked in a Marathon gas station bathroom. 
 
 The son of the Belding woman, who is in her late-50s, said he was proud of his mother's ability to remain calm during the ordeal. She was resting at home Monday. 
 
 Her stolen Jeep Liberty was recovered in an abandoned parking lot in Shipshewana, Ind., about 1 p.m. Monday, Michigan State Police said. 
 
 Authorities in LaPorte County, Ind., were alerted about 5:16 p.m. CST to a 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo stolen from the parking lot of Aero Metals in LaPorte. 
 
 Deputy Slawek Czupryna located the car within moments and attempted a traffic stop, LaPorte County Sheriff's officials said in a news release. 
 
 Elliot led deputies into a rural area of the county, where authorities deployed stop sticks shortly before 5:30 p.m. Elliot attempted to run from the disabled vehicle but was apprehended. No one was injured during the pursuit, deputies said. 
 
 Elliot is lodged at LaPorte County Jail on felony counts of motor vehicle theft and resisting police. He is held without bond. 
 
 "We're just pleased that he was a very dangerous offender ... and he was brought back into custody this evening over a short period of time," Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan said. 
 
 Officials plan to begin the extradition process immediately. 
 
 An investigation will aim to piece together Elliot's actions during his time on the road. 
 
 Elliot's prison file didn't raise concerns of him being an escape risk, Marlan said, but "he obviously exploited a vulnerable part of our security system." 
 
 It's believed that Elliot, who is not a kitchen worker, either stole or was provided a white kitchen outfit he wore during the escape. He spent about an hour using his hands to create holes in the inside and outside perimeter fences. 
 
 Marlan earlier Monday said a security vehicle was patrolling the facility perimeter during the time of Elliot's escape. The particular area where Elliot escaped has been addressed at the Ionia Correctional Facility and other facilities in the state, Marlan said. 
 
 "We've made improvements. We're continuing to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the escape," he said. 
 
 Gov. Rick Snyder in a statement Monday night credited the collaboration among law enforcement officers, corrections officials in Michigan and Indiana, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Now that the public is safe, officials will focus on reviewing how Elliot escaped. 
 
 “We will demand an exhaustive assessment of the incident and take whatever appropriate action is needed to prevent future incidents," he said. 
 
 Angie Jackson covers public safety and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her at ajackso3@mlive.com, and follow her on Twitter. ||||| More Video... 
 
 A source close to the investigation tells NewsCenter 16 convicted murderer Michael Elliot was arrested in LaPorte County after a chase Monday night. 
 
 The manhunt for 40-year- old Elliot started Sunday night, after he escaped from Ionia Correctional Facility in Michigan. 
 
 Elliot was convicted of four murders in 1993 and is serving five life sentences. 
 
 Michigan Department of Corrections Director Dan Heyns says officers realized Elliot was gone during a routine count at about 9 p.m. Sunday. After looking at surveillance tapes, they realized he escaped somewhere between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. 
 
 Heyns says during the time of the escape, Elliot was dressed in a white kitchen uniform. It is unknown at this time how he got that uniform. Heyns says Elliot was not assigned to the kitchen. 
 
 They believe it was the color of that uniform that had something to do with his ability to get by multiple security cameras and interior and perimeter fencing. 
 
 After escaping, Elliot carjacked a woman using a box cutter. He held her hostage during the more than 100-mile drive to Elkhart County. 
 
 They stopped for gas around 11 p.m. at a Marathon gas station near the intersection of SR 13 and CR 2, near Middlebury. The woman escaped Elliot at the station by asking for a cup for water, then locking herself in the bathroom and calling 911. 
 
 Elliot fled in the victim's car before police arrived. 
 
 Indiana State Police say the red Jeep Liberty he fled in was found in the 400 block of North State Street in Shipshewana Monday afternoon. A woman living in the neighborhood noticed the car matched the description of one given on the news, so she called police around 12:15 p.m. But, police say the car was seen in the area as early as 5:30 a.m. 
 
 "You can go a lot of places in seven hours," said Sgt. Ron Galaviz with the Indiana State Police. "Especially if you have a mode of transportation. And, I'm not suggesting he does. But, again, we're looking for stolen vehicle reports or anything of that nature to help follow up on, to help us pursue on that trail." 
 
 Police went door-to-door looking for any signs of Elliot in Shipshewana. Westview Schools were notified of the situation and placed on lock down. Students were later dismissed, with a heavy police presence on site to ensure their safety. Police say all students were accounted for and the schools were thoroughly searched. 
 
 Indiana State Police say after searching the community, their hunt for Elliot in Shipshewana has been suspended and they have no new leads. They don't know if he is still in Michiana or has traveled elsewhere since abandoning the Jeep. 
 
 "What we're asking the public to do is to remain vigilant," Galaviz said. "If you see something, say something. If something appears out of order, if a door seems unlocked, if a window is broken, don't investigate it. Call 911." 
 
 \NBC affiliate WSMV in Nashville says early Monday morning, a woman thought she spotted Elliot at a Tennessee gas station. But, police say it was a false identification. Elliot has family in Tennessee. 
 
 He is described as a 5'8, 165-pound white male with brown hair and eyes. Elliot was wearing a blue and orange state prison uniform when he escaped, but he was last seen in black pants, a white t-shirt, white tennis shoes and a white beanie cap. 
 
 Elliot should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who comes in contact with him, should contact law enforcement immediately. 
 
 According to Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV, Elliot was serving five life sentences for four murders and an armed robbery. He was convicted in 1993. He was also serving 13 years for setting a house on fire and two years for using a firearm during the commission of a felony.
– A convicted killer who escaped from a Michigan prison yesterday and carjacked a woman has been arrested after a car chase in rural LaPorte Country, Indiana, WNDU reports. Michael David Elliot, 40, allegedly stole a woman's red jeep and abandoned it in the small town of Shipshewana, Indiana, this afternoon. A woman spotted the car and called police, who said the vehicle had been seen in the area as early as 5:30am. Knowing Elliot "can go a lot of places in seven hours," police went door-to-door and had schools locked down before releasing students under a heavy police presence. Then a call about a stolen vehicle came in to the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office, and a deputy saw the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, WOOD-TV reports. But the driver kept going and led authorities on a 5-minute chase. Stop sticks disabled his tires in Kankakee Township; Elliot jumped out and tried to run but was arrested and booked. He was serving five life sentences for the murders of four people when he broke out of the Ionia Correctional Facility yesterday by slipping through a gap in the fencing system.