text: LAPORTE, Ind. (WOOD) — A man convicted of four 1993 murders who escaped Sunday from a state prison outside of Ionia was captured in Indiana Monday evening. 
   
   Michael David Elliot, 40, was arrested in Kankakee Township in rural LaPorte County, Ind., and allegedly stole a total of four vehicles in his 24-hour run from the law. He was arraigned Tuesday in Indiana on auto theft charges. 
   
   The sheriff’s department had been looking for a black 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that was stolen from the area of Boyd Avenue and E. Lincolnway in LaPorte, authorities said. Deputy Jeffrey Wright said the vehicle’s engine was on so it would warm up when it was taken. The sheriff’s department was alerted to the theft at 6:16 p.m. ET, according to a Monday night news release. 
   
   Within minutes of learning of the theft, Deputy Slawek Czupryna spotted the stolen vehicle headed south on Boyd Boulevard in LaPorte. He attempted a traffic stop, but the driver didn’t pull over. Instead, the driver fled, leading deputies on a short chase. 
   
   Stop Sticks were deployed just before 6:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office said. 
   
   “He ran over a couple of sets of Stop Sticks that some of our sergeants had laid out, so his tires were going flat. He lost control of the vehicle and slid into a snowbank,” Deputy Wright told 24 Hour News 8. 
   
   That snowbank was at the T-intersection of N 250 E between East Division and E 150 N in Kankakee Township, east of LaPorte. 
   
   Elliot then tried to climb out of the car’s window, Wright said. Deputies Czupryna and Wright each grabbed one of Elliot’s shoulders, pulled him from the car, laid him on the ground and handcuffed him. No one was hurt. 
   
   When asked what his name was, Elliot answered truthfully, Wright said. He said he asked Elliot if he was “‘the Michael Elliot,” and Elliot confirmed he was the escapee. Wright said he was surprised that Elliot didn’t lie about his identity. 
   
   Wright then put Elliot into the back of his cruiser and took him to the LaPorte County Jail. Elliot is being held without bond on felony car theft and resisting charges. 
   
   Wright described Elliot was polite to officers, and quiet and emotionless during the ride to jail. Elliot looked tired, Wright said, like he had not slept in days. Wright said Elliot was wearing jeans that were too big and “a couple of jackets.” 
   
   Wright said authorities didn’t know Elliot would be in their area — there was more concern he may be in the Shipshewana area — and that he did not expect the man he was chasing to be Elliot. Wright said he was relieved that he and Czupryna were able to get Elliot off the streets and bring worried citizens some peace of mind. 
   
   In a Monday night news release, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder thanked the law enforcement agencies that aided in the search and capture of Elliot. “The swift apprehension of this dangerous criminal is a credit to law enforcement and corrections officials in Michigan and Indiana, and our partners with the U.S. Marshals Service. Their courage, diligence and professionalism reminds us how fortunate we are to have such men and women who are willing to keep our communities safe. …Now that we are assured the public is safe, we will turn our attention to thoroughly reviewing the situation that led to the prisoner’s escape. We will demand an exhaustive assessment of the incident and take whatever appropriate action is needed to prevent future incidents.” 
   
   Elliot escaped around 7 p.m. Sunday from the Ionia Correctional Facility, but jail workers didn’t notice he was missing until a routine prisoner check at 9 p.m. 
   
   Authorities said Elliot left through the sally port, a secured garage where prisoners are brought into the facility. Elliot then got through a hole in the fencing system which, according to a former corrections officer, is made up of two 12-foot high, razor wire-topped fencing sections with a smaller, electrified fence in between them. 
   
   He then made a three-and-a-half mile trek into Ionia where he carjacked a woman, police said. The two then drove to the Elkhart, Ind. area. The woman escaped at a gas station there and he fled in her Jeep Liberty. That SUV was found early Monday morning in Shipshewana, Ind. 
   
   LaPorte County, where Elliot was arrested, is west of Shipshewana. 
   
   Elliot was serving five life sentences in the Ionia Correctional Facility after being convicted of four 1993 murders. 
   
   In the early morning of Aug. 8, 1993, according to court documents, Elliot broke into a home in Bentley Township, north of Midland, killed four people then set the house on fire. Vickie Currie, her boyfriend Michael Tufnell, his cousin Bruce Squires Tufnell Jr. and fiancee Cathy Lave were killed. 
   
   Charles and Paul Treece, and Tammy LaCross were with Elliot when the murders were committed. Charles Treece was also convicted of four counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery and setting a house on fire, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a firearm. He is also serving life in prison at the Alger Correctional Facility in Munising in the Upper Peninsula. 
   
   LaCross, who was 16 at the time and is victim Vickie Currie’s daughter, and Paul Treece both testified against Elliot. Under the terms of plea agreements, they pleaded guilty to robbery and felony firearm charges. 
   
   In 2005, Elliot filed a motion for release, saying that there was new evidence in his case — namely a 1994 letter from Charles Treece that attested to Elliot’s innocence. A state court denied his request. 
   
   Elliot maintains he is innocent, according to the court documents. 
   
   —– 
   
   Inside woodtv.com: 
   
   Michael Elliot escapes from Ionia Correctional Facility 
   
   Former guard: Elliot’s escape a ‘mystery’ 
   
   ‘Thorough’ investigation of escape promised 
   
   Son ‘proud’ of Elliot’s carjack victim for staying calm 
   
   Victim’s mother worried Elliot would kill again 
   
   Life as a Level II prison inmate 
   
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   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.
target: – 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.