In a Monday morning press conference, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones took the podium to talk about developments in the case of four missing inmates, but he also took responsibility for the issues with the jail facility and staffing problems that made it possible.

“I am apologizing to Hinds County regarding what we would consider a public safety breach,” he said. “It is concerning not only for residents in the nearby area, but… it can bleed into other states as well. We are accountable for this, and we are prioritizing safety and transparency in this investigation.”

Jones filled in some of the blanks in the timeline that was the escape. In the order of discovery, they are as follows.

• Just after 9:30 on Saturday night, a witness called the Raymond Police Department and reported seeing a white van crashing through the front gate of the county repair shop.
• At 12:34 a.m., Jones said jail staff were made aware that the head count was off in B-Pod, which has recently been renovated and its security strengthened. A breach was found in B-Pod 3 in a cell, and one was found in the roof. It was then determined that four inmates had escaped, though it was not immediately clear.
• Around 2:30 a.m., a red Chevrolet Silverado was reported missing in a nearby neighborhood.
• At 4:45 a.m. Sunday, Sheriff Jones got the call that there had been a breach.
• Just before 5 a.m., the Silverado was seen headed through Rankin County.

As a part of the investigation, authorities looked at security footage and saw evidence that the inmates entered the breach around 8:30 Saturday night, but not all at the same time. Evidence and footage seem to indicate that they may have camped on the roof for a time and escaped in different directions. Jones said the inmates were not cellmates.

The Hinds County van was recovered in Texas with heavy front end damage, but Hinds County authorities don’t know which inmate or inmates was in it. None of them have immediate ties to Texas, Jones said.

It’s believed that some of them could still be in central Mississippi.

Jones said whoever spearheaded the effort would have had to have looked for a breach ahead of time.

Jerry Raynes has escaped a work center previously, Jones said, and was captured in another state in 2021. His mugshot is not entirely up to date, the sheriff said, so authorities are trying to acquire a more recent photo from another jurisdiction.

Jones said he will meet with supervisors as early as today with a list of problems being faced by the detention center and hopefully get some of those problems fixed as soon as possible. He said there is also an alert system that will hopefully be in place soon to help local residents know when inmates escape.

 

ORIGINAL STORY:

The search is ongoing for four inmates who escaped from the Hinds County Detention Center over the weekend.

According to the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, the four detainees were found to be missing on Sunday after a breach was found in B-Pod. Shortly after that, a Hinds County public works pickup truck was also reported stolen.

The detainees were identified as Dylan Arrington, who is charged with auto theft and convicted felon in possession of a firearm; Casey Grayson, who is charged with grand larceny and sale of a controlled substance; Corey Harrison, charged with receiving stolen property; and Jerry Raynes, charged with auto theft and business burglary.

A BOLO for a red 2005 Chevy Silverado with the Mississippi license plate DBQ 7558 with a silver toolbox in the bed and a silver stripe on the side was also issued after being reported stolen from a nearby home.

Later Sunday, the stolen Hinds County Public Works vehicle was found in Spring Valley, Texas.

Authorities said they believe the inmates may have split up, and that they don’t think all of them went to Texas in the van.

Sheriff Tyree Jones is holding a press conference Monday morning to update on the situation.