Officials in West Tennessee said they’ve captured an escaped inmate from Weakley County who allegedly fled with drugs from the evidence room.
According to reports, Clinton Laster left the Weakley County Detention facility around 6 a.m. Sunday after he hotwired a 4-wheeler that was in the impound lot.
Authorities said Laster was an inmate with trustee status who had been an inmate since June 2016, serving time for meth-related charges. He wrecked the 4-wheeler a few hundred yards east of the jail on Highway 22 and fled on foot.
A K-9 unit from Benton County and a helicopter with the Tennessee Highway Patrol were called in to help with the search.
The K-9 unit found Laster in a wooded area not far from the wreck, and he was taken into custody around 11 a.m.
Officers said they found evidence bags belonging to the Weakley County Sheriff’s Office at the scene of the crash. The door to the evidence room was found to be unlocked, but there was no sign of forcible entry.
An undetermined amount of meth and cash had been taken from the evidence room. It’s believed most of the items were recovered, but a complete inventory was being done. Reports stated it’s currently believed the items that were taken had been to court and the cases had been disposed of.
The case remained under investigation.
