An Arkansas murder suspect who escaped from jail through a hole in a ceiling with another detainee has been recaptured days after his fellow escapee was caught, authorities said Monday.
Jatonia Bryant, 23, was apprehended without incident just after 11 a.m. in Pine Bluff when officers conducting surveillance in the area spotted the escapee walking, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Bryant and fellow detainee Noah Roush, 22, were discovered missing Jan. 22 from the Dub Brassell Adult Detention Center in Pine Bluff.
The two suspects escaped from the jail on Jan. 20 after making a hole in the shower area, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Jatonia Bryant, a 23-year-old being detained on a capital murder charge, was recaptured in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on Monday. (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office )
“They were able to get out through the shower area by making a hole through the ceiling and then once making their way through that hole, they made a hole in the roof of our facility and got out through there,” Maj. John Bean told Fox News Digital last week.
Bryant was being detained on probable cause for a capital murder charge in connection with a 2023 shooting, according to authorities. Roush was being held on probable cause for residential burglary and theft of property charges.
Noah Roush, left, and Jatonia Bryant have both been returned to a jail facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
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Roush was captured Thursday after deputies discovered the escapee hiding out in an abandoned house. Both Bryant and Roush have been returned to the jail facility.
The Dub Brassell Adult Detention Center in Pine Bluff, where the inmates were being held prior to their escape. (Google Maps)
An internal investigation revealed that jail personnel did not perform an accurate head count, allowing the two detainees to get a 36-hour head start before they were discovered missing, the sheriff’s office said on Monday.
The sheriff’s office said it also planned to pursue criminal charges against anyone who assisted Bryant and Roush.
Fox News’ Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
