One inmate still on the loose after downtown Chattanooga jailbreak

Dustin Adams

Dylon Lafollette

In the dead of night, two inmates in the Hamilton County Jail broke a window in their second-floor cell, unscrewed a security screen and escaped into downtown Chattanooga, running down Walnut Street in their underwear.

One escapee, 19-year-old Dylon Lafollette, was recaptured hours later Monday, about a mile away in the 100 block of North Market Street. But the other, 25-year-old Dustin Adams, is still on the loose.

The escape highlights long-standing problems with the jail, an aging facility that is chronically understaffed and overcrowded. The jail is supposed to house a maximum 505 inmates - but at the time of the escape Monday, there were 642 inmates inside, Chief of Corrections Joe Fowler said.

And that's routine. For five of the last six years, the jail's average daily population has exceeded the maximum rated capacity of 505, records show.

Officials have warned of potential escapes and dangers to both inmates and jail staff for years. In 2013, a study of the facility warned that most windows at the jail couldn't be secured. In 2015, an inspection by the Tennessee Corrections Institute concluded the jail failed to meet state standards.

In March, Fowler said he didn't believe the jail was providing acceptable living conditions to inmates. At the time, some inmates didn't have regular access to showers or toothbrushes. And in July, Sheriff Jim Hammond lowered the hiring age for correctional officers from 21 to 18 to try to raise staffing levels.

"I never think an escape is acceptable," Fowler said Monday. "And I think we're doing very good with the resources we're provided."

Monday's jail break is the first escape from the jail in more than 15 years, sheriff's spokesman Matt Lea said in a statement. He and Hammond declined to answer any questions about the escape during the Labor Day holiday.

Lea did not say how much time passed between the escape and when officers discovered the jail break. He did not explain how correctional officers realized the men were missing, how the inmates reached the ground, or how many other inmates were in the cell during the escape.

Most cells in the jail house large groups of inmates, so it's likely additional inmates had an opportunity to escape but stayed put.

Both Adams and Lafollette were in jail on non-violent charges and were being housed in a minimum security floor. Adams faced theft, burglary and illegal firearm charges, while Lafollette was jailed for theft and criminal conspiracy. Now recaptured, Lafollette also faces an escape charge.

Authorities are still hunting for Adams, who is described as a 5-foot, 7-inch-tall white man. He is homeless. Lea said Adams may have been injured in the escape and may seek out medical care.

Officials could not say how many correctional officers were working at the time of the escape, but in July there were 137 correctional officers working at the jail across all shifts, according to Times Free Press records.

On that particular July day, there were also 616 inmates behind bars.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.