Winston County Sheriff details his protocols if inmate escapes

WINSTON COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – “Time is of the essence.”

According to Winston County Sheriff Jason Pugh, time is critical when an inmate has escaped a jail or prison.

He says his deputies are trained to notify everyone in the surrounding areas when an inmate is on the run in his county.

“First thing we do if we have a prisoner that escapes that we believe is gonna have some longevity in the pursuit of the prisoner: we notify all surrounding law enforcement agencies and we start notifying our public in the area. One of the first calls we’ll make will be to WCBI and let you guys know that we have an inmate that’s escaped,” said Pugh.

Pugh said Mississippi terrain, temperatures, and natural disasters can make the pursuit difficult for any law enforcement agency tracking an escapee.

But he said the trek is even harder for the inmate.

“As we all know, nobody wants to run around Mississippi when it’s 110 degrees in the woods, in the mosquitos, in the horseflies. and also when the weather’s cold, you know they’re not usually gonna be dressed for the cold conditions,” said Pugh.

One Winston County inmate received an extra five years to his sentence after escaping and surrendering because of frigid winter conditions.

“Years ago, we had a gentleman who escaped on a night it was very cold. By the time he actually figured out where he was when he came out of the woods, he walked up to a local motel sat on the steps, and waited for the police to come pick him up because he was ready to get back where it was warm,” said Pugh.

With recent advancements in the Winston County Sheriff Department’s arsenal of resources, the sheriff said thanks to drone technology, most pursuits in his county end within minutes.

“We get the drone in the air and a lot of times, we’ll have that person in custody almost immediately,” said Pugh.

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