A group of four inmates in Mississippi broke out of jail to burglarize a bargain store and then broke back in and returned to their cells undetected, police say.
Levontaye Ellington, Travis Baker, Maurice Robertson and Jacquiez Williams all escaped from the Holmes-Humphreys County Correctional Facility in Lexington on Tuesday by jumping over a fence, Mississippi News Now reported.
The four men then walked less than a mile from the jail to a Dollar General chain store where they were caught on surveillance cameras grabbing goods inside, police say.
Levontaye Ellington, Travis Baker, Maurice Robertson and Jacquiez Williams all escaped from the Holmes-Humphreys County Correctional Facility in Lexington on Tuesday by jumping over a fence, police say
The four men then walked less than a mile from the jail to a Dollar General chain store where they were caught on surveillance cameras (left) grabbing goods inside, police say. Jacquiez Williams is pictured right in a booking photo
‘They stole cigarettes, cigarette lighters, phones and just items they felt they could sell in jail,’ Lexington Police Chief Robert Kirklin told Mississippi News Now.
Instead of going on the run after fleeing from the Dollar General store, the four men surprisingly snuck back into the jail and were undetected.
‘You’re already in jail, but you want to break out and break back in?’ the chief said. ‘That is just something. I heard it all.’
The four jailbirds denied escaping and burglarizing the Dollar General Store to authorities, despite the fact they were caught on surveillance footage.
Lexington Police Chief Robert Kirklin said: ‘They stole cigarettes, cigarette lighters, phones and just items they felt they could sell in jail.’ Pictured above is the items the men allegedly stole
Instead of going on the run after fleeing from the Dollar General store (above), the four men surprisingly snuck back into the jail, undetected. The inmates were charged with commercial burglary
‘Just looking at the type of clothing they had on and just one of the bags they had put some of the merchandise in,’ Kirklin said of police being able to connect the inmates to the crime.
Holmes County Sheriff Willie March confirmed the great escape and said his team is working to better secure the facility and increase security to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
The inmates were charged with commercial burglary.
It’s unclear what charges they are currently incarcerated for.