HODGEN – A man who escaped from Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center (JEHCC) in 2006 is once again in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, thanks to the work of ODOC’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit and its federal law enforcement partners.

Steven Capps was arrested without resistance at his Muskogee residence on March 7 by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Northern District Task Force and booked into the Muskogee County Jail, according to an ODOC spokesperson.

“Our Fugitive Apprehension Unit was reviewing our at-large inmates and began reworking the (Capps) case,” the spokesperson said, describing how the arrest came about.

Reaching out to other agencies, the Apprehension Unit discovered the escapee was living in Muskogee and was able to obtain his address.

Capps walked away from JEHCC in Hodgen on Aug. 1, 2006, along with another inmate who was captured a short time later.

In 2011, he was arrested in Ohio for two counts of breaking and entering and was remanded to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. He was paroled from ODRC on July 14, 2021, but later violated the terms of his parole by failing to report to his parole officer.

On March 7, 2025, members of the U.S. Marshals Service Northern District Task Force apprehended Capps and booked him into the Muskogee County Jail.

Warden Richard Williams of JEHCC was notified of the apprehension on the morning of May 13. Shortly after, ODOC personnel were dispatched to transport Capps from Muskogee County Jail to the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center in Lexington.

“This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to public safety and our determination to hold individuals accountable – no matter how long it takes,” said ODOC Chief of Operations Jason Sparks. “I’m proud of our Fugitive Apprehension Unit and grateful to our partners at the U.S. Marshals Service for helping bring this escapee back into custody.”

ODOC Fugitive Apprehension Agent Jeremiah Crane, who is assigned to the Tulsa area and works closely with the Northern District U.S. Marshals Task Force, played a key role in the investigation leading to Capps’ capture.

The former Wagoner County resident was charged on June 16, 1998, with obtaining property by trick or deception. On Feb. 14, 2000, he pled guilty and was given a 20-year prison sentence. He was to serve the first five years with the last 15 years suspended.

Capps, 52, has approximately three years to serve on the McIntosh County sentence.