Authorities are looking for the inmate who escaped the McGehee jail Saturday morning by forcing his way through the facility’s fence, McGehee's police chief said.
Chief Jim White said Jeremy Lynn Barnett, 40, was outside in the jail’s recreation area at 9:29 a.m. when he “made a little hole” in the fence and crawled through it.
An Arkansas Department of Corrections K-9 tracking team is trying to find Barnett, White said. He was processed into the jail on Sept. 30 for a parole violation. White said in an email that Barnett was awaiting an opening at a department of corrections prison.
Court records indicate Barnett pleaded guilty to breaking or entering and second-degree escape in August 2009.
In the email, White said Barnett “is not believed to be armed” but could be dangerous, adding that he‘s probably trying to leave the area. The tracking team found Barnett’s jail clothing during its search.
Barnett, who is from Arkansas City, is 5 feet 9, white and weighs 160 pounds. He has hazel eyes and brown hair.