Chicago Area Local News

GRAND BEACH, Mich. (CBS) ― Mayor Richard M. Daley says he was inside his southwestern Michigan vacation home with his wife and three young grandchildren when one of his security guards apprehended an escaped murder convict outside.

Chicago police say an Officer Michael Smith, who is on the mayor's security detail, saw two men fitting the descriptions of escapees near Daley's home early Monday morning. Officer Smith caught one of them while the other ran into the woods.

Smith, 38, has been on the mayor's security detail for seven years.

The sighting at Daley's summer home wasn't the first. In the wee morning hours police say the escapees were spotted walking along some railroad tracks. Then a little while later the Daley security officer spotted two of the men and checked it out because he had heard of the prison break.

"I immediately had a feeling something was wrong. I already had my guard up. It was 5 o'clock in the morning, and these guys looked like they had been laying in wait somewhere. One of them had all these tattoos all over both his arms. Something clearly wasn't right," Smith said.

Daley said he heard cars outside and "knew something was up."

Grand Beach police say the man captured is 48-year-old Charles Smith, who escaped with two other convicts from the Indiana State Prison. The facility is eight miles away from Daley's Michigan vacation home.

Daley says he thinks the men were lost and weren't targeting him.

Grand Beach Police Chief Dan Schroeder says the security detail officer also spotted a man he believed was escaped inmate Mark Booher, who took off on foot in a south easterly direction from the location. Booher was seen wearing a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants with a pair of blue shorts over the sweats, and he was carrying a plastic bag.

CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports that a manhunt for the other two inmates continues Monday afternoon. There are choppers in the air, coast guards on the water and police on the ground.

Grand Beach residents are being advised to stay inside, lock their doors and call police if they see anything suspicious.

Residents CBS 2's Mike Parker talked to say the warning is getting through in a community where people often leave their keys in the car and doors unlcoked overnight.

"I called my in-laws and they said be srue your house is all locked," New Buffalo resident Nancy Basinger said. "Then they came over and made sure it was all locked."

"My husband got his shotgun and went outside to make sure they weren't in the shed or on the decks. He said they could be hiding anywhere," resident Diana Charles said.

The three inmates -- two convicted killers and a convicted rapist -- were determined to be missing from the prison about 10 a.m. Sunday.

The prison was immediately locked down after the offenders were discovered missing. A thorough search of the facility failed to locate them. At 12:15 p.m., prison officials alerted law enforcement.

The search for the escapees continued in the nearby community, with the assistance of the Indiana State Police, La Porte County Sheriff's Department, local law enforcement agencies and staff from nearby correctional facilities. Notice has been sent out to all those registered with the Department of Correction ALERT emergency phone notification system.

The media didn't get the word until 4:25 that afternoon.

Public information officer for Westville Correctional Facility John Schrader said Monday morning that they were following up on leads and potential sightings of the offenders.

The two other missing offenders are described as:

Lance Battreal – white male, age 45, from Rockport. Indiana in Spencer County. He was sentenced in 1998 to 50 years for rape – Class A Felony, 20 years concurrent for criminal confinement – Class B felony and 3 years consecutive for stalking – Class D felony. His projected release date was 10/16/2047.

Mark Booher – white male, age 46 from New Castle, Indiana in Henry County. He was sentenced in 1999 to 65 years for murder, and 20 years consecutively for robbery - Class B Felony. His projected release date was 5/11/2041. 

There have been no sightings Monday of Battreal, who may have recently cut his hair or shaved it.

While the nature and circumstances surrounding the escape are under active investigation, it appears the three men apparently got into tunnels that carry water and sewage, and got out that way, under massive security fences. Prison officials are not yet sure how they got into those tunnels in the first place.

The Indiana State Prison is on lockdown Monday.

Schrader said they do not have any indication that the inmates are armed at this time, but he warns that they are dangerous criminals.

The Grand Beach police chief says there will be mobile patrols all night and a new intense search will begin at dawn. He says it will continue until police are convinced the two desperate, dangerous escapees are no longer here.

Anyone with information regarding these offenders should notify their local law enforcement agency.

CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman and Mike Parker, and the STNG Wire and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Editor's Picks

• Gay Celebrities
• Did You Know? Stars From Chicago!
• Celebs Who Lean To The Right
• Real Or Fake?