Security cameras in Tower Two show areas of the Walker County Jail. Equipment has been upgraded in the tower over the last few years.LaFAYETTE, Ga. — Just as medieval scholars debated how many angels could dance on the head of a pin, two candidates for Walker County sheriff are at odds over what constitutes a serious jailbreak.
They also disagree over whether it makes sense to keep the downtown jail’s back gate and the garage doors of the “sally port,” the drive-in entrance to the booking area, closed all the time.
Challenger Freddie Roden took aim at incumbent Sheriff Steve Wilson at a June 19 candidates’ forum, saying there were documented cases of the jail gate being left open, allowing inmates to escape.
Wilson said that night, “We have never had an escape from inside the jail.” His response drew loud applause from the packed room at the Walker County Civic Center.
Wilson since has clarified his rebuttal, allowing that two men, both 32, made a semi-successful escape in May 2003. One made it over only the first razor-wire-topped perimeter fence and gave up while still behind the outermost fence. The other inmate was captured within 24 hours at a residence on Duncan Avenue in Chattanooga after an anonymous tip, according to a news story that Roden links to on his campaign’s Facebook page.