A Perry County jail administrator helped a murder suspect escape, then furnished her with a device so she could vape marijuana, according to the sheriff's office.
Shortly after midnight on Sept. 24, Assistant Jail Administrator Abby Strange, who had just finished her shift, helped inmate Sandra Rappold escape from the Perry County jail in Perryville, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
"Strange had turned off the audio to the door alarm, furnished Rappold with her jail keys to where she could open her pod door," according to the release. "Then Rappold left with Strange in her vehicle."
A dispatcher on duty noticed the door-ajar notification on a monitor and notified the jailer, who realized Rappold was missing.
The dispatcher immediately notified the jail administer, who notified Chief Deputy Bill Finley and Sheriff Scott Montgomery, according to the release.
Before they could get to the jail, Deputy John Wilson and officer Todd Bonds apprehended Rappold and Strange and returned them to the jail, the release said.
"While Strange and Rappold were out, Strange furnished Rappold with a vape containing marijuana," according to the release.
"Strange has been terminated and arrested," the release said.
Strange, 27, was arrested on felony charges of permitting escape; impairing the operation of a vital public facility; and furnishing, possessing or using prohibited articles, according to an online court docket. Strange bonded out of jail. Her plea and arraignment are scheduled for Oct. 21.
Strange hasn't been formally charged yet.
On Wednesday, Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley said he was waiting from the sheriff's office on a report about the escape, so he wasn't familiar with the details.
Rappold faces a new charge: felony third-degree escape.
Rappold was already in jail on charges of capital murder, arson, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In February 2020, Rappold, then 22, of Bigelow, admitting killing Steve Fason and trying to burn the evidence, according to an arrest report from the Perry County sheriff's office.
Montgomery couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.