1 of 2 inmates who escaped Philadelphia jail has been captured as police arrest 2 people accused of aiding their escape | CNN





CNN
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Two people face felony charges after authorities accused them this week of helping two inmates escape a Philadelphia correctional facility – one of whom was captured Thursday night.

Philadelphia police arrested and charged Xianni Stalling Wednesday with criminal conspiracy, escape, hindering apprehension and criminal use of a communication facility, the Municipal Court of Philadelphia County’s criminal docket shows.

She was arraigned early Thursday, CNN affiliate WPVI-TV reported. A municipal court judge set her bail at $500,000, court records show.

A public defender representing Stalling did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

On Friday, police announced charges against a man already detained at the same detention facility as the escapees. Jose Flores-Huerta, 35, who court records indicate is awaiting trial on murder and other charges, is now also accused of escape and criminal conspiracy. CNN has reached out to the attorney listed in court records for his previous case.

Police did not say how Flores-Huerta allegedly aided Ameen Hurst, 18, and Nasir Grant, 24, in their escape. The US Marshals Service arrested Grant Thursday in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Strawberry Mansion.

Grant and Hurst broke out of the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center Sunday night through a “deliberately cut” hole in the holding facility’s recreation yard fencing, according to the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.

The men had been missing for nearly a full day before the facility’s staff noticed.

Grant, who had been in custody on narcotics and gun violations, was captured by US Marshals in Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, a Marshal spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.

US Marshals and the Philadelphia Police Department, which described the men as “armed and dangerous,” are offering a combined $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Philadelphia police said there is evidence of communication between Stalling and Hurst, and investigators think she aided in the escape, according to WPVI-TV.

Hurst, described as approximately 6 feet tall and weighing 140 pounds, had been held since March 2021 on charges related to four homicides, according to Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore.

The Philadelphia Police Department’s Office of Professional Compliance said in a statement it is “actively investigating” the escape, including reviewing security tapes and staffing assignments around the time of the jailbreak.

Investigators are also examining phone calls made by Grant and Hurst prior to their escape from the 1,210-capacity, 56-bed prison.



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