Authorities in central Alabama are actively searching for four inmates who made a daring escape from a correctional facility on Saturday.
The breakout occurred at the Perry County Correctional PREP Center in Uniontown, as confirmed by the Perry County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 1 a.m. local time, law enforcement agencies were alerted to the escape. The sheriff’s office has identified the fugitives as Marquavious Billingsley, Jaden Christopher Maxwell, Johnny Dave Harris Bush Jr., and Kevin Gunn.
Currently, the specific details and circumstances surrounding their escape have not been disclosed.
These inmates, originally from Dallas County, Alabama, were housed at the PREP center through an arrangement with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. The PREP program is an initiative focusing on Parole and Probation Reentry Education and Employment.
The charges against the escaped inmates are serious, ranging from murder and first-degree robbery to breaking and entering vehicles, first-degree escape, first-degree assault, and promoting prison contraband, according to the sheriff’s office.
Perry County Sheriff’s Office
The inmates, from Dallas County, Alabama, were at the PREP center under an agreement with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. PREP stands for Parole and Probation Reentry Education and Employment Program Center.
The inmates were being held on various charges including murder, first-degree robbery, breaking and entering vehicles, first-degree escape, first-degree assault and promoting prison contraband, the sheriff’s office disclosed.
Authorities said anyone with information regarding their whereabouts was urged to call 911, and was advised not to approach or apprehend them.
“The safety of Perry County residents is the top priority,” Perry County Sheriff Roy Fikes said in a news release, adding that deputies and “assisting agencies” are “actively engaged in efforts to locate and apprehend the escapees, and an investigation is currently underway.”