One of two sought as fugitives caught
NEW ORLEANS » One of two people sought in the Hudson Valley in June in connection with attempted murder and kidnapping charges in Tennessee has been captured.
Jarret Cole Heitmann, 24, was arrested Thursday by New Orleans Police following a shoplifting incident, according to authorities. He was being held in the Orleans Parish Jail in Louisiana, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported.
Heitmann’s girlfriend, Mikayla Danielle Stilwell, 22, was still at large as of the weekend.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Heitmann and Stillwell allegedly kidnapped a woman before shooting a man in the chest in Kingsport, Tenn., on June 20 before fleeing.
On June 22, the pair was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations’ “Top 10 Most Wanted.”
The pair had been wanted by the Sullivan County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to face charges of attempted murder and especially aggravated robbery in connection with the Kingsport incident. Heitmann is also facing charges of aggravated kidnapping in Hawkins County, Tenn.
In late June, New York authorities said the pair “were confirmed” to have been sighted in Pine Bush and Bloomingburg.
They were reported to be armed with an assault rifle and shotgun and “should be considered armed and dangerous,” according to a press release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at that time.
Residents of the towns of Shawangunk and Gardiner were alerted late on June 23 to lock their doors and windows and notify police of any suspicious activity in the area as authorities searched for the fugitives.
The couple were seen a day later at the Walmart in Matamoras, Pa., in Pike County, according to authorities.