A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after being sought for nearly a week as a person of interest in an Oklahoma homicide investigation, police said.
A 15-year-old boy who was sought for questioning by Oklahoma police for nearly a week has been taken into custody and is being held in juvenile detention, authorities said Wednesday.
The teen is a person of interest in the homicide investigation of 38-year-old Andrew Lee Barton, who was found on the grounds of the Paladin Apartments July 13 with a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to police.
Barton was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, the Ponca City Police Department said.
The department had asked for the public's help last week in locating the teen, who had been arrested July 19, but managed to escape custody while in handcuffs, police said. Officers had taken him into custody as a person of interest in the homicide investigation and wanted to question him about the killing, police said.
The teen fled before police could talk to him, authorities said.
"Anytime we transport to a juvenile facility, we have to medically clear them through the hospital," Ponca Police Lt. Ben Garrison said last week in announcing the teen's escape. "And basically, when the officer was in there getting him medically cleared, he ran out the back door."
The teen will be questioned later by detectives, police officials told Inside Edition Digital on Wednesday. He has not been charged in connection with the murder, and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
The teen was found late Tuesday in the basement of a Ponca City home after police received a tip about his location, authorities said.
He has been charged for his alleged escape from police custody, authorities said.
Police have not said why they think the teen may have information regarding the slaying. An 18-year-old male was arrested last week in connection with the killing, and more arrests may follow, police said.
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