A Dozen Criminals Escape From Jail Using Only Peanut Butter
A dozen criminals escaped from Walker County jail in Alabama and they didn’t need any heavy duty equipment to do it. Instead of ripping a toilet from the wall and tunneling their way to freedom, like in the movies, they concocted a rather ingenious plan using only peanut butter.
Walker County Sheriff James Underwood said a new hire at the jail was keeping count of inmates when they asked to have a door opened as a ploy. “They had changed the number over the door with peanut butter. They hollered, ‘hey, open the door’, but that door number was the outside door, and unbeknowingly to him, he hit that lock and out the door they went,” according to Underwood. “That may sound crazy, but these people are crazy like a fox.”
The group of criminals quickly filed out into the grounds of the jail, throwing blankets over a razor-wire fence that surrounded the premises so they could climb over it.
Underwood said the men took advantage of a young new recruit who, in keeping track of 240 inmates at one time, “made a mistake.” He added the inmates’ plan was “well laid out,” and the man “should have been more cautious about it. We’ve got some evil people down here. And they scheme all the time to con us and our employees here at the jail. You have to stay on your toes. This is one time we slipped up. I’m never going to make any excuses — it was a human error that caused this to happen.” Underwood would not comment on what they planned to do with the employee. He only stated, “We’re going to take care of that matter.”
Underwood commented that the jail needed some funding to fix security issues, which would come with a $300,000 price tag. Mainly, they needed to have more monitors and camera equipment installed. He said, however, the chances of being able to afford the fixes were “slim.”
All but one of the inmates were caught within eight hours of the jail break. Most of were found in the Jasper area. Underwood said some of them took off on foot, while several others rode off in a truck. All of the inmates were between the ages of 18 and 30. This is the first time anyone has escaped since Underwood took over.
“It happens. Escapes happen,” Underwood said. “When you deal with people because you locked them up, they’re still criminals. They’re going to continue what they’re doing. They don’t become nice just because you got them locked in jail.”
Luckily, two of the most dangerous offenders are back behind bars. They had been jailed on attempted murder allegations, and police offered a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest. Only 24-year-old Brady Andrew Kilpatrick remains at large. Kilpatrick was locked up on charges of possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana.
Off-duty personnel have been enlisted to help in the search and the Jasper Police Department is also on the hunt, according to the office’s Facebook page. Jasper is about 35 miles northwest of Birmingham.
Sources:
12 Alabama inmates used peanut butter to trick worker in their escape from jail: Sheriff
Inmates in Alabama jailbreak did not need a weapon to escape. They had peanut butter.
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