Jail escape leads to more embarrassment in Atlanta

<p>When a handcuffed suspect ran out an open garage door at the Fulton County Jail this week, he sparked a brief manhunt _ and yet another internal investigation at a sheriff's department that is still facing criticism for its handling of another escape eight months ago that led to a deadly courthouse shooting rampage.</p><p>Thursday's escape occurred at a different building under different circumstances. And it initially would appear that the Fulton County Sheriff's Office is not at fault.</p><p>"It just so happened that he was in our facility," said Sgt. Nikita Adams Hightower of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office. It appears the latest escapee was still under the supervision of Atlanta police when the escape occurred, but an investigation into exactly what happened is continuing, she said Friday.</p><p>"'Under the supervision' has nothing to do with the security that's supposed to be in place at the jail," responded Sylvia Abernathy, an Atlanta Police spokeswoman.</p><p>James Henderson, 25, was arrested about four hours after fleeing the jail. He was caught when a resident of a nearby neighborhood spotted him hiding at a home under construction. His hands were still manacled behind him.</p><p>Atlanta police arrested Henderson and two others at about 7:30 a.m. Thursday as part of an investigation into an alleged child prostitution ring. Henderson was found with marijuana, Abernathy said.</p><p>The three were loaded into an armored police van with one other prisoner and driven to the jail. Henderson fled out the door at about the time the four were unloaded at the garage.</p><p>In a first court appearance Friday morning, prosecutors said they would pursue charges of pimping, escape and possession of marijuana against Henderson. He was denied bond and bound over for a future hearing at Fulton County Superior Court, Hightower said.</p><p>Hightower said Henderson's escape is completely unlike the circumstances surrounding the March 11 escape of 33-year-old Brian Nichols, who is accused of overpowering a courthouse deputy, taking her gun and going on a rampage that left four people dead, including a judge.</p><p>"Every (escape) incident is a serious incident and is of concern to the sheriff," she said.</p><p>Last year, the federal government took over the Fulton County Jail for six months because of a series of escapes, other security lapses and squalid conditions. In one case, an inmate escaped while still in costume from the filming of a rap video at the jail earlier that day. Other inmates have escaped the old-fashioned way: tying bed sheets together and climbing out windows.</p><p>B.J. Bernstein, an Atlanta defense attorney, said she's noticed a lot of changes in how the sheriff's department handles security both at the courthouse and jail since March 11.</p><p>At the courthouse, back-ups in the morning are more common as attorneys and others wait to clear security to get into the building. An effort to limit the number of prisoners transported to the courthouse sometimes creates situations in which suspects are absent from their own hearings, she said.</p><p>At the jail, visitors are searched more often and more thoroughly than before, she said.</p><p>But the escape of Henderson is still concerning, she said.</p><p>"Something clearly went wrong. That's the kind of thing that indicates not everything's been taken care of," Bernstein said.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/11/135609