Jason Blake, aka Blakey, had managed to elude the police for 36 hours. The first clue as to his whereabouts came when a report came in to the police station at the town of Tennant Creek that a Ford sedan had been stolen from a camping ground. On checking out the theft an alert police constable noticed a green utility had been found partially hidden under a tree next to the camping ground. He identified the utility as belonging to Blakey and sent out a despatch alerting police of the stolen vehicle and the suspected occupant.
The vehicle was identified in Alice Springs, parked 50 metres away from a well-known brothel in the inner city. Police surrounded the brothel while a team of policemen searched each room. They found Blakey intoxicated and naked in bed in a compromising position with a woman. He provided no resistance as they hauled him out of bed, made him dress and escorted him to the police wagon where he was promptly taken to the Alice Springs Remand Centre.
WEDNESDAY - ALICE SPRINGS
Sam Popolo, Assistant Commissioner, N.T. Police, flew into Alice Springs Airport where he was met by a constable and driven straight to the Police Remand Centre. He took over the interview of Blakey who had been questioned most of the night. Blakey had refused to answer any questions but Popolo was known for his ruthlessness in his interrogations. He threatened Blakey with the murder of the Prime Minister and after an hour’s interrogation he decided to confess. Later he signed a full statement.