Authorities: Arkansas inmate captured within hour of escape

Jason Williams, 41
Jason Williams, 41

An Arkansas Department of Correction inmate was captured less than an hour after walking away from a work crew Monday morning, authorities said.

Spokesman Solomon Graves said in a news release that Jason Williams, 41, hid in a ditch around 11:30 a.m. to escape the armed guard supervising the work crew at the East Arkansas Regional Unit in Brickeys.

After deploying multiple correctional officers and tracking dogs, Williams was found within an hour after the guard noticed he was missing, Graves said.

Williams was placed in maximum security, Graves said, and the Arkansas State Police will be investigating the escape. The state Department of Correction will conduct an internal investigation as well, Graves said.

Williams was convicted in April 2016 of a narcotics possession charge. That sentence ended in January, but Williams’ history of battery, threats to inflict injury, insolence to a staff member and failure to obey orders while in the prison lengthened his time there, according to the inmate roster.

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