A Mississippi sheriff acknowledged that the jail is "poorly built." The inmates were able to escape through an air duct.
Twitter/@TyreeSheriff
One of two inmates who escaped a Mississippi jail last month was captured Saturday morning after "a brief vehicle encounter" with authorities, the Hinds County Sheriff announced.
Joseph Spring originally disappeared from the Raymond Detention Center on May 29, along with his fellow inmate Michael Lewis. Lewis was captured by deputies later that same day, but Spring led authorities on a nearly three-week manhunt before being captured in the west Jackson area, according to authorities.
Sheriff Tyree Jones told reporters last month that deputies noticed Spring and Lewis' disappearances after finding items and "what appeared to be blood" near the jail's fence. Deputies did a headcount and realized the two inmates were missing.
—TyreeJonesSheriff (@TyreeSheriff) June 17, 2023
Jones acknowledged that the jail was "poorly built," and that escapes are a huge problem, according to CNN.
"We believe that they were able to get access to an air duct within the facility, which led to the exterior of the facility where they were able to go over a fence and escape," Jones said.
Just one month prior to Spring and Lewis' escapes, four other inmates escaped through breaches in a cell and the roof, according to NBC News.
CNN reported that of the four inmates who escaped in April, two have been recaptured, and two are dead.
Jones told reporters in a news conference last month that officials were rushing to fix some of the jail's structural defects, as well as add more staff to patrol the facility. He added that a new detention center is being built.
