Alaska State troopers and report that the two subjects of an extensive Mat-Su manhunt on Wednesday were apprehended on Thursday evening.

38-year-old big Lake resident, Joshua Watford and 28-year-old Amber Watford, became the subjects of a massive manhunt that included Alaska State troopers, Alaska Wildlife troopers, HELO-3, as well as an Anchorage Police Department K-9 unit, when they made their getaway in a trooper patrol car in Big Lake on Wednesday afternoon.

Troopers received a tip that Joshua Watford, who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, could be found at North Shore Pawn in Big Lake at 2:26 PM. After arriving there, troopers contacted Watford, and took him into custody. After doing so, they placed the handcuffed Watford into the back of the trooper patrol car. But, before the trooper could leave the scene, a passing motorist stopped and engaged the officer in conversation in an unrelated matter.

While the trooper was distracted by the passing motorist, Amber Watford, who was nearby, got into the patrol vehicle and drove away with Joshua Watford in the back.

A manhunt for the two suspects and the missing patrol car was initiated, and a little over an hour later, at 3:31 PM, troopers located the vehicle parked on West Fire Weed. But, the two suspects were nowhere to be found, and so the massive manhunt continued until 6:30 PM, when the search was discontinued.

The search was picked up again on Thursday, and at 7:30 PM, “members of the Criminal Suppression Unit along with Palmer AST Patrol, and Wasilla PD located Joshua Watford and Amber Watford at a residence on Alvin’s Alley in Wasilla,” trooper’s report.

Joshua and Amber Watford were taken into custody at that time without incident and transported to the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility in Palmer.

A third person, 24-year-old Wasilla resident, Charles Hood, was also contacted at that residence. It was found that Hood had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for Failure to Comply with Conditions of Probation on the original charge of Theft II.

All three subjects were jailed. Joshua Watford was held without bail, while Amber Watford was held on $20,000 bail plus the Court-Approved Third-Party Custodian. Hood was held on a $5000 bail and a Court-Approved Third-Party Custodian.

The trooper dispatch reported that a red 2000 Dodge pickup truck, which had been reported stolen earlier in the day, was also located at the residence. That vehicle has now been returned to the owner.

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