Freedom was short-lived for a local inmate who broke away from a transport van Thursday, according to the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office.
The inmate, who is being housed at New Hanover Detention, briefly escaped custody and was recaptured by Columbus and New Hanover deputies, according to a CCSO press release.
“I have a responsibility to look at what occurred,” Sheriff Bill Rogers said in the release. “A thorough review will be conducted to ensure our procedures were followed. I will address anything that needs changing in our current inmate transport procedures.”
The inmate, whose name has not been released, was in the CCSO transport van when the escape happened, Rogers said. The deputy in charge immediately contacted Communications, and deputies from all three counties responded and set up a perimeter. Columbus and New Hanover deputies caught the runaway while Brunswick was en route to assist with its mantracking team.
The inmate was taken to New Hanover Detention, where he is being housed for CCSO, Rogers said.
“While this is certainly not the outcome, we expect when transporting someone in our custody, I want to especially commend the outstanding response from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office,” said Rogers. “Their quick response resulted in the inmate being back in custody before additional personnel from Brunswick County and Columbus County even arrived on scene. That is exactly the kind of partnership we value between neighboring law enforcement agencies.
“I want to personally thank Sheriff McMahon and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Deputies for being there when we needed them. I also appreciate Sheriff Chism and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and our own personnel who immediately responded to assist.”
