UPDATE: Fourth and final escaped inmate from Boyd Co. Jail in custody

(WSAZ)
Published: Dec. 28, 2017 at 10:13 AM EST
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UPDATE 1/17/18 @ 2:20 p.m.

Catlettsburg Police tell WSAZ the fourth and final escaped inmate from the Boyd County Jail is in custody.

Thomas Bentley is in custody, according to Chief Cameron Logan.

Ashland Police made the arrest of Bentley.

Bentley was the only remaining inmate who was on the run.

Deputies say he was arrested in the 100 block of Armco Blvd. after a short pursuit on foot.

Austin Childers, Isiah Bare and Joseph Salyers were all captured by Jan.7.

The four inmates escaped on Dec. 28.

The men escaped through an air conditioning duct near their jail cells and made it to the roof, where they jumped down and took off from the jail.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile and WSAZ.com for the latest information.


UPDATE 1/7/18 @ 10:10 a.m.

Catlettsburg Police say a third escaped inmate from the Boyd County Detention Center has been captured more than week after he escaped.

Austin Childers was arrested early Sunday morning near Hillcrest Apartments in Ashland.

Childers was taken to the Greenup County Detention Center.

Thomas Bentley remains on the run.

Ashland Police assisted in Childers' arrest.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile an WSAZ.com for the latest on this story.


UPDATE 1/3/18 @ 4:45 p.m.

Catlettsburg Police say another escaped inmate from the Boyd County Jail has been captured.

Joseph Salyers was captured Wednesday.

Authorities say he was found on Jason Road early Wednesday evening.

Salyers has been taken to the Boyd County Detention Center.

Austin Childers and Thomas Bentley remain on the run at this time.

Kentucky State Police and the Ashland Police Department assisted in Salyers' arrest.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile and WSAZ.com for the latest information.


UPDATE 12/29/17 @ 11:45 a.m.

A jail employee has been fired after four inmates escaped the Boyd County Detention Center.

Three of the four inmates remain on the run Friday. Isiah Bare was captured Thursday.

According to the jail, the inmates escaped from the jail about 3:30 Thursday morning.

Jail officials say around 6:30 a.m. breakfast trays were passed.

Employees have each inmate pick up their tray and do a head count in the process.

The fired employee didn't follow procedure and failed to check on the inmates who didn't come to their cell door.

According to the jail, the employee also failed to follow up with a supervisor to note if anything was out of the ordinary.

Another head count was taken about 8:30 a.m. That's when the missing inmates were noted.

A cell check and perimeter check showed that inmates had broken the lock on a pipe chase and went into the ceiling where they removed a heating and air unit, giving them access to the roof.

According to the jail, a similar attempt was made in 2013 to escape from the same cell.

Austin Childers, Thomas Bentley and Joseph Salyers remain on the run.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile and WSAZ.com for the latest information.


UPDATE 12/28/17 @ 6:15 p.m.

One of the four Boyd County Detention Center escapees has been caught in Greenup County, Boyd County Sheriff Bobby Jack Woods says.

Isiah Bare was captured without incident in the Westwood area, Woods says. This is Bare's second escape from jail custody.

Bare, along with three fellow inmates, appeared to have gotten out through an air conditioning unit around 1:30 Thursday morning, according to police.

Woods says officers will be out searching Thursday night.

Catlettsburg Police Chief Cameron Logan says the men pried open small maintenance doors inside their cells, crawled through the air conditioning duct and made it to the roof. They jumped down to freedom.

The suspects are not wearing jail clothing. Logan says they changed before escaping. The jumpsuits were found in their cells.

"It's supposed to be a secured facility and stuff keeps happening," Logan said. "It's getting aggravating."

This is the 10th escape from county jail custody since July. Catlettsburg Police is tasked with catching the inmates and Logan says it is getting taxing.

"It's getting very frustrating," Logan said. "I mean, we're taking time away from the citizens of Catlettsburg to protect them and respond to their needs."

He says their jobs are also more difficult because of the equipment at the detention center. Logan says most of the cameras do not work, so they don't have any idea of which direction the escapees headed.

"To my knowledge, the ones outside around the back and stuff like that, to my knowledge they're not working," Logan said. "They have no cameras on the roof or anything like that. That's just something that fiscal court's going to have to bite the bullet and update some equipment. They need to do something."

In the previous escapes, the inmates were caught.

Logan says the remaining three on the run after the overnight jail break could be anywhere at this point.

"They may be in different states now, we just don't know," Logan said. "We're actively looking for them right now and if they're in different states they run 'em, we go get 'em."

The chief believes that the inmates likely had outside help.

They had several leads Thursday afternoon, including a truck that was stolen from American Hydraulic Services, about a quarter mile down the road from the jail.

The truck is a white 2016 Ford F550 with a flatbed. It was last seen heading toward U.S. 23.

"Just a major concern is safety," said Faith Pike who live and works near the jail. "Are they going to run and hide? They going to try to get into our building? Get into our cars? Are they going to harm us?"

Pike works at an apartment complex for the elderly and disabled. With 96 apartments, the building is only a few blocks from the detention center.

"I worry about my residents," Pike said. "They're like my family. I worry about their concerns. I don't want them to be afraid."

She has good reason to be worried. Pike tells WSAZ that a few years ago, an inmate bolted from the work release program. She says the woman ran into the apartment building to hide and even talked her way into a resident's apartment.

That inmate was quickly caught and nobody was hurt, but she says that day does come to mind when she hears about another escape.

Catlettsburg Police have responded to the jail "numerous times," Logan says.

The jail is currently under a criminal malfeasance investigation. The investigation involves several law enforcement agencies who are looking into recent incidents at the jail including escapes, overdoses and a riot that closed the jail for almost a month in August.

Authorities say if anyone sees the inmates, don't approach them but try to get as best of a description as possible and call 911.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile and WSAZ.com for the latest information.


UPDATE 12/28/17 @ 4:05 p.m.

One of the four Boyd County Detention Center escapees has been caught in Greenup County, Boyd County Sheriff Bobby Jack Woods says.

Isiah Bare was captured without incident in the Westwood area, Woods says.

Bare, along with three fellow inmates, appeared to have gotten out through an air conditioning unit around 1:30 Thursday morning.

The Catlettsburg police chief says the men followed the air conditioning duct to the roof and then jumped off.

Authorities say if anyone sees the inmates, don't approach them but try to get as best of a description as possible and call 911.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile and WSAZ.com for the latest information.


UPDATE 12/28/17 @ 3:35 p.m.

Four inmates who escaped from the Boyd County Detention Center appear to have gotten out through an air conditioning unit.

Catlettsburg Police Chief Cameron Logan tells WSAZ the inmates escaped around 1:30 Thursday morning.

Austin Childers, 21, of Ashland, Thomas Bentley, 33, of Louisa, Isiah Bare, 21, of Ashland and Joseph Salyers' escape was reported around 9 a.m. Thursday.

Chief Logan says the men followed the air conditioning duct to the roof and then jumped off.

He believes the men likely had help escaping from the outside.

Chief Logan says the inmates changed clothes before escaping.

A stolen truck was taken about a quarter mile from the detention center.

A picture of the truck has been attached to this story.

Chief Logan tells WSAZ there aren't any cameras outside of the jail and not all of the cameras inside even work properly.

"They have no cameras on the roof or anything like that. That's just something that fiscal court's going to have to bite the bullet and update some equipment. They need to do something," Logan said.

If anyone sees the inmates, don't approach them but try to get as best of a description as possible and call 911.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile and WSAZ.com for the latest information.


ORIGINAL STORY 12/28/17

Sheriff Bobby Jack Woods tells WSAZ four inmates have escaped from the Boyd County Detention Center.

According to Sheriff Woods, Austin Childers, 21, of Ashland, Thomas Bentley, 33, of Louisa, Isiah Bare, 21, of Ashland and Joseph Salyers' escape was reported around 9 a.m. Thursday.

The escape happened sometime between 12:40 a.m. and 9 a.m.

There is no word on what time the escape happened.

According to the Commonwealth Attorney's Office, Childers and Salyers were in jail on armed robbery charges.

Bentley was charged with possession of heroin and other drug charges, along with a concealing a deadly weapon charge.

Isiah Bare has escaped custody in Boyd County before Thursday's incident.

Bare was facing a counterfeit charge, but had additional time added for his earlier escape.

Catlettsburg Police tell WSAZ there aren't any cameras outside of the jail and not all of the cameras inside even work properly.

We have a crew at the scene.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile and WSAZ.com for the latest information.