Striking infrared footage shows the moment a police helicopter helped locate a Michigan jail escapee concealed in dense woodland.
Casie Jo Helsel, 44, who has an extensive criminal record, escaped from the Crawford County Jail at about 1.30pm on Monday, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities quickly determined that Helsel had fled and asked Michigan State Police to help track him down.
State police sent a helicopter known as ‘Trooper 3’ to search a swampy, wooded area behind a country club where Helsel was thought to be hiding.
The fugitive was found and taken into custody by 3.58pm, less than two and a half hours after his escape.
Michigan State Police later released footage from the helicopter, showing its crew working alongside the sheriff’s office to find and recapture Helsel.
The black-and-white video shows the helicopter sweeping over the tree canopy before focusing on a bright white heat signature lying or crouching among branches, brush and debris.
A member of the aerial team said Helsel had previously evaded police and that his usual method was to ‘hunker down, whether it be in the water, under a dock or at a stream on the edge and just wait ’till night.’
Infrared footage from a police helicopter captures the moment the jail escapee was located. His heat signature can be seen through the trees
An officer and a K-9 approach the escapee’s hiding place as the aerial team guides them toward the target
Officers move toward the suspect, whose heat signature is faintly visible through the tree branches
Officers accompanied by a K-9 can then be seen moving toward Helsel’s hiding place while the helicopter crew directs them from above.
‘You guys are almost standing on top of it. What we’re seeing, heat-wise,’ the aerial team tells the officers. Moments later, one officer responds: ‘We got him. We got him.’ Police said Helsel was hiding 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 at a press conference that Helsel escaped through a door that had been propped open, WPBN reported.
The door is used by jail staff to move items in and out of the facility. Swope said investigators do not believe the employee who left it open intended to assist Helsel.
The sheriff said his office would carry out a detailed review of its policies and procedures to help prevent a similar incident.
Court records show Helsel was being held on assault and battery charges when he allegedly escaped.
Casie Jo Helsel, 44, was captured after a search lasting about two and a half hours. His criminal record stretches back more than 25 years
Officers surround Helsel in the footage before finding him concealed beneath logs and debris
The footage briefly switches to standard color, illustrating how difficult it would have been to see Helsel without infrared imaging
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Records show Helsel attended a pretrial hearing on Sunday, while his next court appearance was scheduled for November 3.
Michigan Department of Corrections records indicate that Helsel’s criminal history spans more than 25 years. He has previously served three prison sentences and two parole sentences.
Helsel was on parole from 2001 to 2004 for malicious destruction of property. From 2005 to 2006, he was on parole for possessing a controlled substance and assaulting or resisting an officer.
In 2016, he received a sentence of two and a half to five years in prison for larceny and possession of a controlled substance.
In 2019, he was sentenced to between three years and 11 months and seven and a half years in prison for fleeing an officer and obstruction of justice.
In 2024, Helsel received a sentence ranging from two years to seven and a half years for assaulting or resisting an officer and fleeing an officer.
He was released on probation in February. While still on probation in September, he allegedly committed the assault and battery offense for which he was jailed when he escaped, court records show.
The records do not say whether Helsel has faced additional charges over Monday’s alleged escape.
