Deputies are searching for an escaped convict who disappeared Sunday from the Meigs County Jail, according to several reports.
Dustin Cody Miller was reportedly in recreation time when he escaped the Meigs County Jail Sunday.
He was arrested for auto theft in May.
During the incident, Miller stole a truck in Bradley County and led police on a chase into Meigs County, where he allegedly stole a second vehicle and continued his attempt to flee.
Sheriff Jackie Melton said a manhunt is on for Miller, but he is not considered armed and dangerous.
The Meigs County Sheriff’s Office did not return a request seeking further comment Tuesday.
The escape is another long line of escapes from prisons and jails in the Volunteer State this year.
In July, four inmates escaped from the Hamilton County Jail. They were taken back into custody within 24 hours.
“Within 24 hours of the reported escape, all four inmates were taken back into custody due to the exhaustive and extensive investigation conducted by [Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office] personnel and our federal and local partners. I am extremely proud of the efforts of our personnel who have worked tirelessly throughout the day to ensure the swift apprehension of these four wanted fugitives was accomplished,” said HCSO Chief Deputy Austin Garrett.
Before that, two female inmates who were part of a societal reintegration program escaped from a Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) facility in Chattanooga.
Katelyn Standifer and Ashley Wardlaw were both eventually captured and hit with escape charges that will likely lengthen their sentences, which were set to expire in 2023.
In the most high-profile escapes of the year, three men escaped from the Sullivan County Jail through an HVAC vent in February.
Those men led authorities on a manhunt that crossed state lines.
Eventually, they were found in Wilmington, North Carolina, where two were taken into custody and one was dead. The circumstance of the escaped inmate’s death remains unknown.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Dustin Cody Miller” by News Channel 9. Background Photo “Police Stop Miller” by News Channel 9.
