By C1 Staff
CAMDEN, S.C. — How the inmate who recently escaped from the Kershaw County Jail, only to be later returned to authorities by his parents, has been explained by the county sheriff.
WLTX reports that Yancey Wilson went from facing state charges to possible federal charges after he yanked a cell light off of a wall that was being held by sheetrock in order to commit his escape.
“It wasn’t in a solid wall like everyone thought,” Sheriff Jim Matthews said. “He was able to climb up into that area, go over some cement blocks into an area that was just ceiling tiles, and dropped through that. Then he walked through an unlocked door.”
At the time, Wilson had been in an attorney client meeting room, where he’d been speaking with his attorney. It’s protocol for attorneys to notify jail staff when they’re leaving, but Matthews believes that didn’t happen, leaving Wilson unattended.
Wilson then left the jail through the front doors, removing his jumpsuit to later be found by a construction worker in the area. Once the worker alerted the jail of his findings, they performed a head count and realized Wilson was gone.
Wilson was later seen by a civilian wearing nothing but boxer shorts while he was trying to flag down a car. He was picked up by a woman, who took him to his parents.
“Thinking about the safety of their son, they did the right thing and brought him back,” Matthews said.
The jail is now being evaluated to ensure that such an escape doesn’t happen again.