Escaped Mississippi detainee captured in Texas, 2 remain at large, sheriff says

Written by on April 27, 2023

(SPRING VALLEY, Miss.) — A detainee who escaped from a Mississippi jail along with three other men nearly a week ago has been detained in Texas, authorities said Thursday.

The breach occurred at the Raymond Detention Center Saturday night, when four detainees escaped through the roof of the Hinds County jail, according to the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office.

A Hinds County public works pickup truck that was reported stolen amid the breach was found abandoned Sunday afternoon in Spring Valley, Texas, in the Houston area, authorities said.

One of the escaped detainees, 51-year-old Jerry Raynes, was captured on surveillance footage at a service station Sunday morning in Spring Valley, according to the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office.

Raynes has since been captured in Spring Valley and will be held facing extradition back to Mississippi, the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

Raynes had been in the Raymond Detention Center since January 2022 after being charged with auto theft and business burglary and has a history of escaping pretrial detention facilities, according to Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones.

He and three other men were discovered missing from the jail early Sunday following a headcount, according to Jones. The men were pretrial detainees, meaning they were being held in prison while awaiting trial.

One of the escaped detainees — 22-year-old Dylan Arrington — was killed in a shootout with deputies at a residence in Leake County Wednesday morning, according to Jones. Arrington had barricaded himself inside the home, which somehow became engulfed in flames during the standoff, Jones said.

While on the loose, Arrington was believed to be involved in a fatal carjacking in Jackson on Monday. The victim — identified as the Rev. Anthony Watts — was believed to have pulled over to help after someone crashed a motorcycle before he was fatally shot, authorities said.

Arrington had been in the detention center since April 13 after being charged with auto theft and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office.

The other escaped detainees were identified by the sheriff’s office as Casey Grayson, 24, who had been detained since mid-February and was charged with the sale of a controlled substance and grand larceny, and Corey Harrison, 22, who was charged with receiving stolen property and had been detained since April 7.

Their whereabouts are currently unknown, Jones said Wednesday, while noting that most of the detainees were believed to be in the central Mississippi area following their escape. It was unconfirmed if Raynes had traveled to Texas alone, Jones previously said.

ABC News’ Will McDuffie contributed to this report.

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