Two jailers are off the job as investigators look into how three men escaped custody in Sharp County.
KAIT in Jonesboro reports according to Sharp County Sheriff Mark Counts, the jailers are on administrative leave as the investigation continues.
Counts say it seems the jailers did not do head counts during the midnight shift.
Robert Lynn Pollard of Evening Shade and Christopher John Frey of Horseshoe Bend were arrested Wednesday night, while authorities still look for Paul Sledge of Conway.
The inmates somehow unscrewed the deadbolt from the jail door and then pulled a fence up outside the door to escape.
Counts said Wednesday authorities now believe Sledge is in a red Cadillac Escalade, with an Arkansas tag number of 031 XKU, headed to or in Missouri. Authorities have sent out alerts to surrounding states about Sledge.
Earlier Wednesday, jailers discovered the three men missing while conducting morning checks, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Counts said earlier in the day Wednesday his office pinged a phone associated with the escaped inmates to Horseshoe Bend where an Arkansas State Police trooper got into a chase with them and they abandoned their vehicle.
Dogs with the Arkansas Department of Correction then joined the search.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office set up a roadblock at the county line, and deputies are showing every driver coming through the pictures of the escaped suspects.
Pollard, according to the sheriff, was incarcerated for fleeing on foot, escape, possession of a controlled substance, and alcohol-related charges. Sledge was being held on charges of fleeing in a vehicle, fleeing on foot, and was being held for other agencies. Frey was in custody on suspicion of criminal use of a prohibited weapon, possession of a controlled substance, and theft by receiving.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Sledge should contact the Sharp County Sheriffs Office at 870-994-7356.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI