Police: Soldier escaped military custody, vanished after chase
Pfc. Russell Marcum, 20, is considered armed and dangerous, New York state police say.
September 16th, 2011
05:01 PM ET

Police: Soldier escaped military custody, vanished after chase

State police in central New York are looking for a U.S. soldier who they say escaped military custody at Fort Drum, stole his parents' car and led police on a four-county chase.

Pfc. Russell Marcum, 20, of Morgantown, West Virginia, is considered armed and dangerous, state police said.

Marcum, who was in "unit custody" on the base after being arrested earlier in the week on suspicion of burglary, eluded officials on base Thursday night, got into an altercation with a fellow soldier and stole his parents’ 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche, state Trooper Jack Keller said.

He drove away from the area and led police on a chase, Keller said. The car eventually went over stop sticks that police had deployed in rural Otsego County, and Marcum lost control of the vehicle, according to Keller.

Marcum left the car and fled into a wooded area, and he hasn’t been seen since, Keller said.

Just hours before he left Fort Drum, Marcum’s parents bailed him out of the Jefferson County (New York) Jail, where he’d been held since Monday on burglary charges, Fort Drum spokeswoman Julie Cupernall said. He was placed into unit custody at Fort Drum after his parents posted bail, Cupernall said.

Marcum joined the Army in August 2010 and was deployed to Afghanistan from January to March, Cupernall said.

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Filed under: Fort Hood • Military • New York
soundoff (198 Responses)
  1. Rambo

    Sounds like a scene out of Rambo.

    September 19, 2011 at 11:43 am | Report abuse |
  2. guesttt

    So this kid is a thief and break the law............and peopel STILL are arguing that this story shouldn't have been published just cuz he was in the military. Aren't our military personnel suppose to be disciplined and well-trained. This story absolutely deserves to be published.

    September 19, 2011 at 11:59 am | Report abuse |
  3. justicestx

    Trautman: Look John, we can't have you running around out there wasting friendly civilians

    Rambo: There wouldn't be no trouble except for that king-shyt cop! All I wanted was something to eat, but the man kept pushing sir.

    September 19, 2011 at 12:10 pm | Report abuse |
    • Nick

      Best comment ever! lol!!!!

      September 19, 2011 at 1:13 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jeff_Lebowski

      Well you did some pushing on your own John....

      September 23, 2011 at 5:54 pm | Report abuse |
  4. chewbaca

    Gggggaaaaahhhhhrrr. Aaaarrrrrggggghhhh. Gahr.

    September 19, 2011 at 12:16 pm | Report abuse |
  5. JoeProfet

    All I'm saying is walk a mile in his shoes before throwing the first stone!

    September 19, 2011 at 12:18 pm | Report abuse |
  6. SophieCat

    Maybe a dingo ate yo' baby!

    September 19, 2011 at 12:24 pm | Report abuse |
  7. sissy

    Be excellent to each other. Do something nice for a stranger. Many terrorists kill U.S. people on the streets and roads every day. Be a safe and courteous driver. Use your turn signal. Don't cut people off, then slam on your breaks. There are other drivers on the road who are too tired, too sick can't read the road signs ect. Don't trust them to avoid you!

    September 19, 2011 at 1:18 pm | Report abuse |
  8. National talk like a Pirate Day

    Arrrgh Matey, I'll take him aboard and show him whar the treasure be. He'll get his fill o'theivin and swabbin the deck betwixt ports'o call.

    September 19, 2011 at 4:31 pm | Report abuse |
  9. chewbaca

    Gahrrr. Aaaarrrggghhh.

    September 20, 2011 at 1:33 pm | Report abuse |
  10. GOP=domestic terrorist

    You taught him how to escape and elude and the kid got good at it.. Lol! Wat did u expect

    September 20, 2011 at 1:37 pm | Report abuse |
  11. the_dude

    I should be able to decide for myself if I want certain people to live or not.

    September 23, 2011 at 5:56 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Smith

    i know this kid. if any of you are thinking the deployment has any any thing to do with it. your wrong. he was over for for like four months and never left the base. he was a falure in life that sliped through the cracks and got in and is now on his way out thankfully.

    October 1, 2011 at 1:23 am | Report abuse |
  13. Deathcore

    Thinking about lore and legends You may ralecl my mention of witnessing the apparition of the black dog in the Catskills. It wasn't until after I'd seen it that I remembered and was reminded that it's a Catskills legend like the old man in the mountains. So I'm wondering now if I saw it does that make it a legend, which are generally fictions, or factual, as in this thing really exists, it really happened, and to more than one person. I believe that the more time one spends in the area of activity the more likely one is to witness the claims if they are true and accurate. It's sort of like luck there's really no such thing just those who are more observant (as in finding money on the ground) or more active (such as winning at Bingo).

    April 22, 2012 at 1:43 pm | Report abuse |
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