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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Arkansas inmate recaptured after 32 years on the run

The Dec. 26, 1984, photo provided by the Arkansas Department of Corrections shows Steven Dishman, who was serving a 7-year sentence for theft of property and burglary convictions in Washington County when he escaped on May 28, 1985. (Arkansas Department of Corrections / Associated Press)
By Tafi Mukunyadzi Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The mother of an Arkansas prison escapee who had been on the run for more than three decades said she has been in contact with her son since soon after his escape and that he was visiting her when he was arrested.

Steven Dishman, 60, was arrested Sunday at a home in Springdale in northwest Arkansas by local law enforcement and state troopers, according to the state Department of Correction.

Shirley Jones told the Associated Press on Monday that her son has been living in southern Arkansas, but would not specify where Dishman has been living or for how long.

Jones said she came into contact with her son about six months after he escaped from prison. Dishman is not married and has no children, according to Jones.

Jones said her son has not been in trouble since his escape and that “he’s a good person,” and “very creative.”

State police Lt. Liz Chapman said a person told officers about Dishman’s whereabouts over the weekend, and he was arrested without incident. Chapman said people who may have known Dishman by a different name are being questioned.

Dishman was serving a seven-year sentence for theft of property and burglary convictions in Washington County when he escaped from the department’s Benton Unit in central Arkansas on May 28, 1985.

Dishman was sentenced in December 1984 and would have been eligible for parole in December 1987, according to the department. His original release date was scheduled for June 1991.

There are currently four escapees still on the run from various Arkansas prisons. Their offenses include fleeing, possession of a controlled substance, theft of property and theft by receiving.