Dramatic infrared footage shows the moment a police helicopter helped locate a Michigan jail escapee hiding beneath logs and debris in a wooded area.
Casie Jo Helsel, 44, who has an extensive criminal record, escaped from the Crawford County Jail at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.
After realizing Helsel had fled, local authorities called in the Michigan State Police to help track him down and return him to custody.
State police deployed a helicopter known as ‘Trooper 3’ to search a swampy, wooded area behind a country club where Helsel was believed to be hiding.
The search ended at 3:58 p.m., when officers located and captured Helsel less than two and a half hours after his escape.
Michigan State Police later released infrared footage showing the helicopter crew coordinating with the sheriff’s office during the search and arrest.
The black-and-white video shows the helicopter circling above the trees before focusing on a bright white heat signature, apparently showing Helsel lying or crouching among brush and debris.
A member of the aerial team said Helsel had fled from police before and described his ‘MO’ as hunkering down—whether in water, beneath a dock or beside a stream—and waiting until nightfall.
Dramatic police helicopter footage shows the moment the jail escapee was found. His heat signature can be seen through the trees on the infrared camera
The footage shows officers accompanied by a K-9 moving toward the escapee’s hiding place as the helicopter crew guides them from above
Officers approach the suspect, whose heat signature remains faintly visible through the tree branches
The footage then shows officers and a K-9 team moving toward Helsel’s hiding place while the aerial crew directs them to his precise location.
‘You guys are almost standing on top of it. What we’re seeing, heat-wise,’ a member of the aerial team said. Moments later, an officer responded: ‘We got him. We got him.’ Police said Helsel was found concealed beneath logs and debris.
Multiple Michigan State Police units, along with the County Marine Patrol and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, took part in the search.
‘Great work by all who worked together to safely take the suspect into custody,’ state police said.
Crawford County Sheriff Ryan Swope said during a press conference that Helsel escaped through a door that had been propped open, WPBN reported.
FIND OUT MORE: Trump Defends Gas Prices, Saying US Is Making a Fortune
Swope explained that staff use the door to move items in and out of the jail. Investigators do not believe the person who left it open intended to help Helsel escape.
The sheriff said his office would conduct a detailed review of its policies and procedures to help prevent a similar incident in the future.
According to court records, Helsel was being held on assault and battery charges when he allegedly escaped.
Casie Jo Helsel, 44, was captured after a search lasting roughly two and a half hours. His criminal history stretches back more than 25 years
Officers could be seen surrounding Helsel in the footage before they found him hiding under logs and debris
The video briefly flicked to regular color, showing how it would have been nearly impossible to spot Helsel without the infrared mode
Join the discussion
How should jails be held accountable when dangerous inmates escape due to basic security lapses?
He had a pre-trial hearing on Sunday, and his next court appearance was scheduled for November 3, the records show.
Michigan Department of Corrections records indicate that Helsel has an extensive criminal history dating back more than 25 years, and he previously served three prison sentences and two parole sentences.
From 2001 to 2004, Helsel was on parole for malicious destruction of property. From 2005 to 2006, he was on parole for possession of a controlled substance and assaulting or resisting an officer.
In 2016, Helsel was sentenced to two and a half years to five years in prison for larceny and possession of a controlled substance charges.
In 2019, he was sentenced to three years and 11 months to seven and a half years in prison for fleeing an officer and obstruction of justice charges.
In 2024, he was sentenced to two years to seven and a half years in prison for charges of assaulting or resisting an officer and fleeing an officer.
Helsel was released on probation in February. In September while still on probation, he allegedly committed the assault and battery he was in jail for at the time of his escape, court records show.
The records do not indicate whether Helsel has been hit with additional charges for the alleged escape on Monday.