Tennessee fugitive linked to Wisconsin bank theft

Jacob Allen Morley, a Tennessee inmate serving a life sentence, has been on the run since Monday and is now under investigation for a bank robbery in Wisconsin.

Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex on Monday by stealing a white 2008 Ford F-150 bearing the markings of Lindamood Planting Company. Police discovered the abandoned truck early Tuesday in Marion, Illinois, and stated there is no evidence he remains in that area. He is currently serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield.

On Tuesday, just before closing time, a gunman entered the Bank of Deerfield in Dane County. The suspect demanded cash and restrained two employees before fleeing. No one was injured during the incident. The robber drove away in a Lincoln MKZ taken from the parking lot, which was later found unoccupied.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has not confirmed a direct link between Morley and the Wisconsin crime but is aware of the event. U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller for the Western District of Tennessee has increased the reward for Morley's arrest to $15,000. Daniel Russell, a friend of the murder victim, described Morley as a monster who will act again.

Authorities have placed Morley on the Tennessee Most Wanted List and advise the public to consider him dangerous. The investigation team asks witnesses to call 1-800-TBI-FIND with information. If a person spots Morley, they should not approach him and should call 911.