Former escapee
State holds escapee, felon Joel O’keefe following arrest
Sex offender in state custody pending outcome of parole case.
Convicted sex offender Joel O’keefe led police on a 13-day manhunt when he escaped from troopers in the mid-1990s. State prison officials took no chances when he violated his parole last week.
The Post-star of Glens Falls reports O’keefe was transferred into state custody Friday to await the outcome of the parole case. The newspaper attributed the information to Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy.
Felons accused of parole violations are usually held in local jails until their case is decided. Typically, they then complete their sentences in state prison.
O’keefe, 57, was arrested Wednesday after police received complaints from women in Glen Falls and Saratoga Springs. Police say O’keefe failed to notify his parole officer and acted inappropriately.
O’keefe, a native of Easton, escaped from troopers in Ballston on Sept. 23, 1994. He was being taken from Washington County jail to Saratoga County jail when he took off from the back of a State Police car as it was stopped at a traffic light at routes 50 and 67.
More than 200 troopers, correction officers, deputies and environmental conservation officers used police dogs, infrared equipment and heat-seeking helicopters to scour Saratoga County for O’keefe.
O’keefe, who had stolen a car in Saratoga Springs, drove to Salem in Washington County and then to Bennington, Vt., where police captured him at a Subway shop two weeks after his escape. He reportedly used bolt cutters he found in a barn to remove his cuffs, and purchased clothes at a Salvation Army store in Vermont. The troopers were disciplined for handcuffing him in front and not behind his back after he complained that it was painful.
O’keefe pleaded guilty to the June 27, 1994, firstdegree burglary of a home in Round Lake where police said he raped a woman at knifepoint after locking her daughter in a closet. He had been charged with first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree unlawful imprisonment.
The guilty plea to burglary resolved the case. O’keefe was also serving time for several attempted escapes while in prison. Corrections authorities say O’keefe used a water pistol painted black in a 2001 escape attempt as he was transported back to an Elmira prison from a medical appointment.
It couldn’t be determined from authorities if he has a lawyer.