Defendants plead guilty, attempted to flee to Canada

Submitted by Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer
Chad Bigley Voelkel, age 40, was sentenced to 31 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after entering a plea of guilty to Rape and Failure to Appear in Polk County Circuit Court on Monday September 14, 2020.
Stephanie D. Voelkel, age 41, pled guilty to Permitting Abuse of a Minor in June 2020. She was sentenced to 15 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
The Voelkel’s were the target of an international manhunt when they fled Polk County in May of 2019 with four of their children just days before Chad Voelkel was scheduled for trial for rape. The Voelkel’s were located and arrested in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada in July 2019 with the help of the US Marshal’s Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Canadian Border Services Agency.
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.
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