After Inmate Makes Clean Getaway, Police Catch Him Sneaking Back into Jail with 'Goodies'
A federal prison in Texas with a record of inmates walking off the grounds to pick up contraband then return recently reported one of its more brazen alleged offenders.
According to Fox News, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies and U.S. marshals at the Beaumont facility say they saw 25-year-old Joshua Randall Hansen leave through a rear exit and pick up a large duffel bag from a nearby lot.
The agency reported that a vehicle stopped at the private property adjacent to the prison to leave the package a short time before it was retrieved.
Authorities included images of the large haul in statement, which the agency also posted on Facebook.
“The duffel bag contained 3 bottles of Brandy, 1 bottle of Whisky, multiple bags of Buglar (sic) tobacco, packaged snacks, fruit and a large amount of home cooked food,” the sheriff’s office statement read.
As CNN reported, the bag contained various meats including sausage and fried chicken. Large sides of vegetables and assorted salty snacks were also visible in the photos shared by authorities.
According to officials, the facility has seen such brief escapes in the past.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Marcus McLellan explained that the prison has had a documented problem with non-violent and minimum-security inmates retrieving items left for them by conspirators on the outside.
“Deputies received information that inmates were escaping from the Federal Complex on the back side of the facility and crossing onto private land owned by a local rancher,” according to the statement. “It was reported that they were picking up contraband and taking it back into the facility.”
In an effort to combat that trend, he said local officials coordinated with federal authorities on the night of Hansen’s arrest.
At around 5:45 p.m. on Jan. 24, reports indicate a vehicle pulled over near the facility while one occupant left the large bag on the ground. Less than two hours later, Hansen allegedly escaped in an attempt to bring the items back inside.
Hansen, a Dallas resident serving a sentence for a drug-related conviction, was reportedly arrested by deputies as he ran back toward the prison with the contraband. He was placed on a federal hold and now faces additional charges of escape and marijuana possession.
The Jefferson County facility is not alone in its vulnerability to short-term escapes by pleasure-seeking inmates.
According to WCVB, authorities in Mississippi say four inmates at the Holmes-Humphreys Correctional Facility escaped to rob a nearby retailer.
The men allegedly walked to the Dollar General, which was closed at the time, and broke in to steal an array of merchandise, including cigarettes, lighters and cellphones.
They were reportedly able to return to the jail, though police say surveillance footage from the store reveals the burglary in progress.
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