The second of two escapees from the W.C. "Dub" Brassell Detention Center in Jefferson County was apprehended Monday morning, one week after his escape, according to a press release from the county sheriff's office.
Jatonia Bryant, a 23-year-old capital murder suspect, was taken into custody around 11:07 a.m. on the east side of Pine Bluff.
His apprehension came four days after the other escapee, 22-year-old Noah Roush, was recaptured.
According to the release, officers were conducting surveillance when Capt. Yohance Brunson, with the County Sheriff's Office, saw a black male -- later identified as Bryant -- walking in the area of Belair Street and East Harding Avenue.
Bryant was identified by the clothing he was wearing, which had been reported to law enforcement officers.
Brunson called in extra support, and Bryant was taken into custody without incident and taken back to the Brassell Detention Center.
Roush and Bryant were discovered missing from the jail on Jan. 22, in the morning. Sheriff's officers said in an initial news release that they believe the two had escaped within the previous 48 hours.
The sheriff's office said, during an internal investigation of the incident, it was discovered that jail personnel did not perform an accurate head count, which led to the approximate 36-hour head start for Bryant and Roush.
"Since 2019 we have worked aggressively with jail staff and contractors to correct structural vulnerabilities revealed since opening the jail in 2007," the press release said. "These actions included making updates to our facility in the way of cameras, perimeter intrusion systems, fences around and on top of the facility, which did not exist prior to 2019. The cost of such upgrades has been over $250,000.00. While these are always a deterrent to an escape, we rely heavily on our jail personnel for detainee security."
Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. said the escape of Roush and Bryant is a "catalyst for further capital improvements, prompting us to redouble our efforts to address critical, longstanding challenges inherited from previous administrations related to the design and structure of the jail itself. ...
"Jefferson County has also very recently made meaningful human resource investments that, given time, will help us retain valued detention employees and more selectively recruit new ones.
"Further, previous administrations enjoyed budgets that included 48 jail guard slots. We're now down to 20, so it is without doubt that even further investment in our detention workforce is warranted."
Roush was caught on Thursday inside an abandoned residence in the area of 19th Avenue and Plum Street after a call from a private citizen came in at about 4 p.m. that day.
Shortly after the capture, the sheriff's office issued a news release stating that Capt. Yohance Brunson arrived in the area and spotted Roush, who reportedly attempted to elude Brunson on foot. The release states that Brunson chased Roush and took him into custody with assistance from Capt. Brad Vilches and Officer Aaron Torres of the Southeast Arkansas College Department of Public Safety.
I.C. Murrell contributed to this story.