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Thursday, November 12, 2026Nov 12

Alabama inmate accused of trying to kill officer escapes from jail

Prison interior. Jail cells and shadows, dark background. 3d illustration / Getty Images
Prison interior. Jail cells and shadows, dark background. 3d illustration / Getty Images Prison interior. Jail cells and shadows, dark background. 3d illustration / Getty Images

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama inmate with a violent history of eluding law enforcement is on the run again.

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office says 30-year-old John Kaleb Gillespie escaped from the jail in Decatur on Sunday.

Sheriff’s officials say another inmate helped Gillespie climb over a recreation yard wall.

Officials say Gillespie tried to run over an Alabama state trooper in Lawrence County in November 2018 as officers fired on his truck.

Gillespie eluded officers other times before he was captured at a Decatur house following a five-hour standoff.