An escaped inmate from a Mississippi prison was captured on Wednesday evening after a brief pursuit and car crash.
According to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department, the escape from the Carroll County Regional Correctional Facility was discovered during a routine inmate count, prompting a lockdown. It was soon found that a kitchen employee, Leslie Nichole McNeal, 44, of Grenada, had also disappeared.
Authorities learned that McNeal had left the facility with the inmate, Ryan Burks, 39, in her car. Burks is serving a 30-year sentence for two counts of sexual battery and one count of burglary.
The pair was spotted in Lafayette County, but police were unable to stop the vehicle, which led to a chase.
The pursuit ended when the car crashed on Highway 6. Both McNeal and Burks were taken into custody after the crash.
Burks was booked into the Lafayette County Detention Center, while McNeal was taken to the hospital, treated for minor injuries, and later booked into the same detention center.
The incident remains under investigation, and charges are expected to be filed against McNeal for aiding the inmate’s escape.
