Murder suspect caught after weeks of hiding

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Murder suspect Colt Morgan is escorted to a police car by Buffalo and Leon County officers. Morgan was transferred back to Harris County to await trial.

    After several weeks hiding out in the Buffalo area and hundreds of man-hours searching for him by numerous law enforcement agencies, accused murderer Colt Morgan was captured and arrested after being spotted in a storage shed outside of the Hampton Inn by a hotel worker.

    Adrian Vargus, who works as a maintenance employee for the hotel, went to the shed to look for parts he needed for a plumbing project and spotted someone sleeping. Backing away from the area, he immediately called 9-1-1 and asked the dispatcher if Morgan had been caught. Buffalo officers responded to the call and were able to apprehend Morgan even though while Vargus was on the phone Morgan left the building and tried to make it to the freeway.

    “We are grateful to Mr. Vargas for being alert,” Police Chief Lance Pavelka said. “If it weren’t for him, he (Morgan) would still be out there.”

    Although there had been no sightings of Morgan in town since November 23, when he was questioned by officer Steven Pate, whom he head butted and escaped from, law enforcement had not ruled out the possibility that he was still in the area. Most local businesses still had WANTED posters hanging for customers to see.

    “It was pretty brazen of him to be staying so close to town,” said Leon County Sherrif Kevin Ellis.

    Morgan had a number of items with him in the storage building, including clothing and cold weather gear, bedding, a .22 caliber rifle with a silencer, a pellet pistol, and a coin collection. The items are presumed to have been stolen.

    Morgan was wanted in Harris County for the murder of his girlfriend Wende Marshall. He was transported back to Harris County the day of his arrest. For citizens of Leon County, and especially Buffalo, it was a welcome relief to see him gone.

    “I feel like he must have been very crafty and sneaky,” senior Jacob DeBorde said. “I just could not believe it took that long to catch him.”