All three escapees from Jackson County jail captured

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Three inmates escaped from a crowded Jackson County jail Tuesday night, but all three were captured later Wednesday, authorities said.

Sheriff Kenneth Bean said that the three inmates — Christopher L. Henry, 28, Ricky D. Paul, 26, and Joshua Earhart, 22 — escaped at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday after climbing up to a catwalk in the facility and breaking a window.

“After talking to other inmates and listening to recorded phone conversations, we believe it was planned,” Bean said.

Bean said he believed one of the inmates had someone, possibly a spouse, waiting to pick them up after they escaped.

Authorities tracked them as they traveled south into White County, Bean said, where Earhart was captured about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Henry and Paul were captured in a wooded area of White County Wednesday afternoon, WSMV-TV reported.

Bean said that prison officials noticed their absence after about 10 minutes. He said one of the inmates blocked a security camera while the other two climbed to the catwalk.

The three inmates were being held on drug and theft charges and don’t have a history of violent crimes, the sheriff said.