Police say an escaped inmate from the Grundy County Jail was caught Friday night in Marion County.
Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum said deputies arrested Kenneth Jason Franklin, who escaped during a worship service at the jail Wednesday night.
Franklin, 43, was one of seven inmates attending a worship service in a building on the jail’s property. Shrum said a corrections officer left to use the restroom, leaving the person conducting the service alone with the inmates. Franklin asked to use the restroom himself and the facilitator allowed him.
“Our facilitators are trained to know that we don’t let inmates move about the property unsupervised,” Shrum said. “I don’t know why the facilitator didn’t get on the radio and request an escort for the inmate.”
Shrum said Franklin escaped through a loose section of fence, adding that the fence will be fixed Monday.
He said part of the problem is that, with a new jail under construction, problems with the existing jail are going unaddressed. He said the facilitator’s failure to follow protocol is being handled internally.