Naman Shrestha
In Hulu’s ‘Girl on the Run: The Hunt for America’s Most Wanted Woman,’ the primary focus is on the October 2000 killings of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the involvement of Richard Hull and Sarah Pender in the double homicide. Although the search for the killers was over soon after the tragedy, Sarah’s escape from Rocksville Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Indiana, in 2008 resulted in a pursuit that took several months. At the time, Scott Spitler was a correctional officer at the prison, and he reportedly played a huge role in Sarah’s escape.
Scott Spitler Risked His Marriage and Career to Help Sarah Pender
In the early 2000s, Scott Spitler landed a job at the Rockville Correctional Facility as a corrections officer. Five years into his job, he met with an inmate named Sarah Pender, who was serving time for her involvement in the 2000 murders of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman. At the time, he was married with children. However, he allegedly began a sexual relationship with Sarah. Soon, she offered him $15,000 for helping her escape. To facilitate her plans, he allegedly provided her with a cell phone. On August 4, 2008, Scott gave her civilian clothes and hid her under the seat of his van.
At the time, he was working in the inmate transportation department. While exiting the facility with Sarah hidden inside his van, he logged his fuel intake by stepping out of the vehicle to prevent the guard from approaching his van and searching it. Then Scott drove her to a visitor parking lot, where her friend, Jamie Long, picked her up and drove her to Indianapolis, Indiana. Not long after, the officials at the prison realized that Sarah was missing, and the facility was put on lockdown. Upon checking the surveillance footage, they determined that Scott had helped her escape from the prison.
With suspicion hanging over him, Scott was brought in for questioning by the authorities. During the interrogation, he admitted to his participation in Sarah’s prison break. He also reportedly told the investigators that Jamie was the one who picked her up from the parking lot. Consequently, he was arrested on August 5, 2008, and charged with trafficking with an inmate, assisting a criminal, sexual misconduct, and official misconduct. A couple of days later, Jamie was also arrested for her involvement in Sarah’s escape.
Scott Spitler Was Brought to Justice For Aiding Sarah Pender’s Escape From Prison
A few months later, on January 15, 2009, Scott Spitler pleaded guilty to aiding the escape of Sarah Pender. In exchange, the State dismissed the trafficking charge. By then, Sarah had been arrested in Chicago, Illinois, where she was living under an alias. On February 17, 2009, his sentencing hearing took place. Claiming that he had been manipulated by Sarah, Scott presented multiple letters to the trial court in his support. His loved ones also testified in his favor. Scott also stated that he had made arrangements to live with his former wife and children in case he was sentenced to home detention.
In the end, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for his involvement in the prison escape of Sarah Pender. He was ordered to serve seven of the eight years at the Department of Corrections, while the remainder was suspended to probation. Soon, Scott Spitler filed a formal appeal, claiming that the sentence he received was inappropriate in light of the nature of his offense and his character. However, his request was rejected by the Court of Appeals. After he completed his sentence, he was seemingly released from prison, after which he stayed away from the limelight and led a private life.
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