A convicted armed bank robber who went on the run last year has been recaptured by US authorities after turning up as a villain in a low-budget horror movie.
Jason Stange, 44, was arrested on Friday by US marshals, who tracked him down to the capital of Washington state, Olympia, where he had been shooting the film Marla Mae.
Stange was photographed in an extensive piece about the movie in the local newspaper, the Olympian, and was clearly shown looking amiable and relaxed in seven separate shots.
Fortunately for the film-makers, the $8,000 production had just wrapped. Stange, who is credited under the stage name Jason Strange on the movie’s IMDb page, was stopped by the authorities after leaving the set to buy cigarettes. He was allowed to return his costume before he was taken to jail.
Producer Brandon Roberts said Stange was “a great guy” and a talented actor who had “really nailed the audition” for the part of Dr Lourdes, an abortion clinic doctor who commits a deranged act.
“Everyone really liked him a lot,” Roberts told the Tacoma News Tribune. It is understood first-time director Lisa van Dam-Bates, who also plays Marla, has decided to keep Stange’s scenes in the movie.
The fugitive was sentenced to 117 months behind bars in 2006 after pleading guilty to an armed bank robbery. Stange had been living in a halfway house but violated his probation in July last year by leaving without permission, resulting in the issue of a warrant for his arrest.
Producers say Marla Mae is inspired by the cult classic horror films of the 1980s. The official synopsis says “the story follows modest twentysomething Marla, who must uncover the diabolical reason for her boyfriend’s death while being sought after [sic] by local Olympia police who suspect her of the crime”.
Producers now hope to secure financing to release the feature-length film next year.
