A Newton County jail escapee who had been on the loose for more than a week surrendered Thursday.
Ryan Lessley Campbell, 31, of the Mount Judea area turned himself in at the Boone County jail in Harrison, 19 miles north of Jasper, where he escaped.
Campbell was taken back to the Jasper jail Thursday, according to a news release from the Newton County sheriff's office.
Campbell scaled two fences July 20 and disappeared into a thicket by the Little Buffalo River.
Newton County Sheriff Keith Slape said Campbell quickly climbed a 15-foot-tall exercise-yard fence, then ran 20 feet to a 7-foot-tall perimeter fence and went over it, too.
Dogs lost his scent near the river, the sheriff said.
Slape said he added more razor wire to the top of the exercise-yard fence after the escape.
Campbell had been arrested July 11 on preliminary charges of first-degree battery and aggravated assault, Slape said.
Newton County Chief Deputy Jarred Morgan said one dispatcher was monitoring the jail's 36 cameras when Campbell escaped. He said two dispatchers should be working the control room, but the jail's budget won't cover that.
Metro on 07/29/2016