A man on the run since December when he escaped from a state prison in Oklahoma City was arrested Friday after a manhunt that started in Dover.

Phillip D. Johnson Jr. was nearly two years in to a 15-year sentence for car theft when he escaped from the Clara Waters Community Correction Center in Oklahoma City.

Kingfisher County Sheriff Dennis Banther said local law enforcement had quietly been searching for Johnson for weeks, based on information that a Dover resident was a known associate.

Banther said he also had information that Johnson, 40, had been seen a few times in Kingfisher.

“Last night (Thursday), Kingfisher Police Department began a pursuit with a vehicle that was in the possession of the known associate,” Banther said.

The pursuit ended behind Dover schools when the driver fled on foot.

“Additional staff was called in to begin searching throughout Dover and the outlying area,” Banther said.

Personnel from the sheriff’s office, Kingfisher and Hennessey police departments, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the DOC Investigative Unit combed Dover and the surrounding area early Friday, Banther said.

“We were able to determine a cell phone the suspect should have in his possession and requested a ping (on its location),” Banther said.

“It took quite some time to get the first result. The second result led us to believe he was leaving the area in a vehicle and then it took quite a while to get another result.”

During the delay, officers were stopping and searching vehicles and a Facebook alert was issued by the sheriff’s office asking Dover residents to be on the lookout for “someone whom you aren’t accustomed to seeing around your property.”

“While we believed he had left the area, we couldn’t guarantee that,” Banther said.

“Finally, another result came in showing (the phone) to be in Moore.”

The location was narrowed down further and Johnson was arrested about midmorning, sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle

Banther said Johnson’s suspected Dover associate was seated in the passenger seat at the time of the arrest.

“We anticipate charges being filed on the local accessory to this man,” Banther said. “The individual knew he was an escapee and continued to assist in his movements and hiding his whereabouts.

“ODOC investigators will be bringing their paperwork to the district attorney’s office in Kingfisher to request charges.”

According to the DOC website, Johnson’s criminal record includes 17 felony convictions, mostly for property and drug crimes, dating back to 2012.

Banther praised all the law enforcement agencies involved in Johnson’s apprehension, which he described as “a concerted effort to bring him to justice.”

“The best part was the ability to keep this information from getting out to the general public, which could allow him to move on,” he said. “Each agency and their officers showed utmost professionalism in handling this situation.

“There have been a lot of long nights for each of these members, working additional hours to learn this man’s movements.

“That work paid off.”