Blake Cavanough arrested in Rocky Gully after escape from Pardelup Prison Farm sparked manhunt

The man who escaped from a prison farm in WA’s Great Southern has been arrested in a town 40km away.

Police launched a manhunt for Blake Cavanough, 26, after he escaped from Pardelup Prison Farm about 7am on Tuesday.

Pardelup Prison Farm is a 2630 hectare minimum-security facility designed to reintegrate offenders back into the community.

It is situated off the Muir Highway about 25km west of the Mt Barker townsite.

Police had believed Cavanough was travelling towards Mt Barker after his escape, however he headed in the opposite direction.

Members of the public were warned not to approach him.

About 3.10pm, a WA Police spokesman confirmed Cavanough had been taken into custody in Rocky Gully, 40km north-west of the prison farm.

“Police thank the members of the community who contacted police with information that directly assisted the police operation,” the spokesman said.

Cavanough was described as about 182cm tall with a medium build, brown hair, blue eyes and a short beard.

Court records show the escapee has racked up several convictions in recent years and is less than a quarter of the way through a prison sentence.

Most recently, on August 26 in Albany Magistrates Court, he was sentenced to 11 months in prison in relation to charges including threaten to kill and common assault.

Eight months earlier, on January 13, he received a 12-month intensive supervision order after a drink-driving offence.

Cavanough faced Albany Magistrates Court on charges of excess .08, reckless driving, failing to stop and obstructing public officers.

In addition to the intensive supervision order, he was ordered to pay $1750 in fines and had his licence disqualified for nine months.

And on May 28, 2020, he was placed on an eight-month community-based order for burglary.