Larry Chamberlin Caught in Washington

Do you remember when an escaped convict was on the run and caught in Washington?

Larry Chamberlin was serving a four-year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon and burglary in the Memphis Correctional Center.  He escaped from the medium-security prison on August 17, 1978.

Within three days, he made his way to Central Illinois and was hired by Hardee's in Morton under the name Steve Mullins. Chamberlin worked there until the end of August, when he quit because he said he had to return home.

On September 9, Chamberlin returned to the restaurant in a brand new yellow Camaro, flashing a large wad of bills and a pistol. This alarmed employees at Hardee's, so they notified the police. After a short chase, the police lost the Camaro, and Chamberlin fled to Tennessee.

On September 25, Chamberlin was involved in a shootout with a Memphis policeman after being recognized, and an arrest was attempted.  He eluded the police officer, stole a car in Camden, Tennessee, stole some credit cards in Evansville, Indiana, and returned to Central Illinois.

Upon his return to our area, Chamberlin was stopped for speeding at 3:40 a.m. on Wednesday, September 27, in a stolen 1976 Lincoln Continental near Tremont.  When the officer approached the car, Chamberlin sped off and knocked the officer to the ground.  A wild chase ensued, reaching speeds of 125 mph with officers from seven different police precincts.

The chase ended near Washington as Chamberlin crashed his car into a ditch northeast of town.  He fled on foot into the fields and lay in the same spot until that night, after which he made his way to the home of Jerry Aschenbrenner, 1303 Knollcrest.  He entered the garage through an unlocked door.  Jerry returned home from bowling shortly after midnight. Aschenbrenner startled Chamberlin in the garage as he tried the kitchen door, looking for food.  The fugitive then darted from the home with an orange sweatshirt stolen from Aschenbrenner's work van.

Not long after the Aschenbrenner encounter, Doris Muller saw the fugitive run through her backyard at 101 Lynn Street.  Doris, the wife of then-Washington Mayor Arden Muller, had been listening to police activity regarding the suspect on her scanner radio and immediately notified authorities.

Four Washington policemen responded to Mrs. Muller's 1:12 a.m. call and found Chamberlin hiding in bushes between 105 and 107 Lynn Street, where he was finally put into custody.