Voelkel Back In U.S.; Sits in Polk County Jail

Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer announced that Chad Voelkel is back in the Polk County Detention Center. Voelkel was extradited from Canada and flown to the Bentonville, Arkansas airport Friday by the US Marshal’s Service. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office took custody Voelkel. He will await trial in the Polk County Detention Center on Rape and Failure to Appear.

Voelkel was arrested for Rape on January 3rd, 2019. While out on bond he failed to appear for his jury trail last May, a warrant was issued for Failure to Appear.

Voelkel fled the Arkansas with his wife, Stephanie Voelkel, and 4 of his minor children. She had a warrant was issued for Permitting Abuse of a Minor.

The Voelkels fled over 1,200 miles to Canada and were eventually in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. Their 4 children were turned over to the Arkansas Department of Human Services.

Stephanie Voelkel has not yet returned to Arkansas and is still in Canadian custody awaiting extradition to face charges of Permitting the Abuse of a Minor.

Sheriff Scott Sawyer thanked his Deputies and the US Marshal’s Service for their hard work. “Without the involvement of the US Marshal’s Service, we might still be looking for them”. Sheriff Sawyer also wanted to thank US Attorney Dak Kees, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Border Services, the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for their assistance. “This was a team effort. Everyone involved was focused on finding the Voelkel children and making sure that Chad and Stephanie Voelke were brought back to face justice.”

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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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