Jatonia Bryant Jr. and Noah David Roush escaped from a jail in Jefferson County, Arkansas, authorities said. (Mug shots: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
Law enforcement in Jefferson County, Arkansas, are looking for two escaped inmates linked to separate homicides, one charged and the other uncharged.
Jatonia Bryant Jr., 23, and Noah David Roush, 22, climbed through a hole in the shower of “the Misdemeanor 2 pod” at the Dub Brassell Adult Detention Center on Saturday at approximately 9:40 p.m., according to an affidavit viewed by Law&Crime. This allegedly led to a hole in the roof, where the men climbed down.
Deputies did not learn the men were gone until Monday morning, records show.
“Both individuals are to be considered dangerous and should only be approached law enforcement personnel,” the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office wrote.
Bryant was locked up at the jail after turning himself in on Aug. 18, 2023, for an allegation that he and a 17-year-old boy drove up to the intersection of 8th Avenue and Myrtle Street on July 29, 2023, and fatally opened fire on Christopher Harris, 49. Both are charged with capital murder and counts of terroristic acts and aggravated assault.
As for Roush, he had been locked up in a burglary case in which he and a woman allegedly broke into a home, stealing items including an AC window unit. According to authorities, he invoked his right to an attorney, but co-defendant Kelly Byus allegedly claimed they found the items on the side of the road.
The other homicide case
Roush may eventually face a charge in a homicide case, however. Detectives developed him as a person of interest in a homicide case that had gone cold, Major John Bean of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office told Law&Crime on Wednesday. The case remains uncharged and Bean declined to describe the evidence in detail before any formal charges, but he confirmed the victim to be Jesse Burk, 31.
Burk was found dead wrapped in a tarp and shot in the chest on around Nov. 1, 2022, near Old Warren Road and Gibbins Road in Pine Bluff.
“I will put it up, $2,000 for an arrest or conviction on whoever did this to my nephew,” his uncle, Brian Burk, said, according to Little Rock ABC affiliate KATV in a Dec. 18, 2022, report.
“He was smart,” Burk’s former partner, Brad Braley, told the outlet of Jesse. “He was a beautiful person. He had a big heart.”
Deputies described Roush as a white man standing 6 feet, 2 feet tall, weighing approximately 180 pounds, and featuring a scar on the right side of his head.
Bryant is black, standing 5 feet, 11 inches, and weighing approximately 145 pounds.
From deputies:
If you have any information as to the location of Roush or Bryant, or anyone who may have assisted them in their escape, please notify the JCSO at the phone numbers listed above or contact the Metropolitan Emergency Communication Association at 870-541-5300, Captain Yohance Brunson (870) 692-3376 or Lieutenant Terry Wingard (870) 510-0395.
