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Arizona fugitive captured after months on run

By WTOP Staff

FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A former personal trainer who broke free from an Arizona jail by hoisting himself atop a basketball hoop and pulling apart a security fence is back in custody after months on the run, authorities said Tuesday.

Authorities caught up with Wade Cole Dickinson on Monday night watching television at a small apartment near the Las Vegas Strip. He was arrested without incident after initially denying he knew why authorities were at his door, said David Gonzales, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona.

Dickinson fled the Camp Verde jail on July 12 while awaiting transfer to a state prison where he was to spend nearly 25 years for fraud, drugs and possessing a firearm. Authorities said he spent some time in Yavapai and Coconino counties before they lost contact with him. They later traced him to the Las Vegas area, where he wasn’t working but had $1,500 in cash.

“As far as we could tell, he was just laying low,” Gonzales said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Authorities said they are still looking into who might have helped Dickinson, who dropped 30 pounds and marked his 29th birthday while on the lam. There’s no indication Dickinson committed any violent acts while out of jail, but authorities said he’s an adept con man.

“We are very much focused now on how Mr. Dickinson was able to elude us,” Yavapai County sheriff’s Lt. Tom Boelts said.

An investigative report released weeks after the escape said Dickinson was misclassified as a medium-security inmate, despite being a known flight risk. Extra security was on hand during his court appearances, but he wasn’t as closely watched in the jail’s housing unit.

No one was directly supervising the recreation yard when Dickinson broke out a security camera with a basketball, climbed atop the basketball hoop, grabbed on to an overhead security fence and pulled it apart, the report said. The 6-foot-1 Dickinson then ran across a roof and dropped about 30 feet before scaling an exterior fence with barbed wire, Sheriff Scott Mascher has said.

Dickinson was discovered missing when someone called 911 to report a man in orange pants and a white shirt trying to steal a vehicle at a Camp Verde business.

The basketball hoop was removed from the jail the day Dickinson escaped, and the sheriff’s office has changed its inmate classification system and secured cameras so that they cannot be damaged from the outside, said sheriff’s Capt. David Rhodes.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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