The convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison had at least a five-hour head start before local police were notified he was missing, the local police chief told Fox News Digital.
asserted
chief → convict → Digital
Jacob Allen Morley broke out of the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, Sunday, although authorities have not disclosed the exact time of his escape.
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authorities → break → escape
Staff at the prison noticed Morley was unaccounted for at around 11:30 p.m., and a review of surveillance footage subsequently revealed him crossing through the prison's perimeter fence.
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him → notice → fence
According to Tennessee Highway Patrol dispatch audio, Morley was last seen at the prison around 4 p.m. Sunday.
uncertain
Morley → accord → p.m.
Surveillance footage recorded Morley taking a pickup truck from the 400 block of Keystone Drive, a location roughly 2 miles south of the prison, at around 1 a.m. Monday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.
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Bureau → record → Investigation
The truck was found abandoned by law enforcement officials early Tuesday morning in Marion, Illinois, but Morley wasn't located.
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Morley → find → Marion
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Tiptonville Police Department Chief Joe England said his department wasn't notified about a potentially missing inmate until 4:40 a.m. on Monday, over 5 hours after prison staff first realized Morley was unaccounted for.
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Morley → say → Monday
Officers responded to the prison and worked with staff to assess the situation.
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Officers → respond → situation
At 5:14 a.m., England said, officers alerted the rest of the department that the inmate's escape had been confirmed.
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escape → say → department
At 6:20 a.m., prison officials formally notified Lake County Central Dispatch, which handles 911 calls and coordinates law enforcement services, that an inmate escape had been confirmed.
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escape → notify → services
The notification set off a broader search for Morley in the area surrounding the prison.
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notification → set → prison
"The Tiptonville Police Department immediately coordinated with the Tennessee Department of Correction and the Lake County Sheriff's Office to conduct a search of the surrounding area," England said.
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England → coordinate → area
"The Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and numerous other state, local and federal law enforcement agencies also participated in the search efforts.
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Patrol → participate → efforts
While Morley stole the pickup truck at around 1 a.m. Monday, England said his department wasn't made aware of a potentially missing truck until 2:15 p.m. Monday, which was confirmed missing at 2:30 p.m.
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which → steal → p.m.
He noted that the pickup truck wasn't stolen within city limits.
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truck → note → limits
Timeline of Events:
Sunday, Oct. 25
- 4 p.m.: Morley's last known location is the prison, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol dispatch audio obtained by Fox News Digital.
uncertain
location → know → Digital
Staff at Northwest Correctional Complex confirm Morley is unaccounted for, per TDOC.
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Morley → confirm → TDOC
The truck is stolen on Keystone Drive in unincorporated Lake County.
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truck → steal → County
Lake County Central Dispatch gets the first report of a possibly missing inmate and notifies officers.
uncertain
Dispatch → get → officers
Tiptonville officers at the prison tell the rest of the department an escape has been confirmed.
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escape → tell → department
Prison officials formally notify Lake County Central Dispatch that an inmate escape has been confirmed.
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escape → notify → Dispatch
Tiptonville PD coordinates a search with TDOC and the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
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PD → coordinate → TDOC
THP, TBI and other state, local and federal agencies join.
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THP → join → ?
Tiptonville PD first learns of a possibly missing truck.
uncertain
PD → learn → truck
The truck theft is confirmed.
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theft → confirm → ?
Marion, Illinois, police are notified the truck was found abandoned.
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truck → notify → ?
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson said the agency was notified of the prison escape on Monday morning but didn't elaborate on an exact time.
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agency → say → time
The Lake County Sheriff's Office didn't respond to Fox News Digital when asked when the agency was first alerted of the prison escape.
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agency → respond → escape
The Tennessee Department of Correction didn't respond to multiple requests for comment to Fox News Digital.
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Department → respond → Digital
Former federal prison Warden Cameron Lindsay told Fox News Digital the delay in notifying police of an inmate escaping prison is "100% unacceptable."
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inmate → tell → prison
"Part of any correctional facility's basic tenets of operations should include emergency plans.
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Part → include → plans
And one of those plans that you have for an emergency is an escape.
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you → have → emergency
And part of your escape plans entails notifying law enforcement, local law enforcement, state law enforcement, U.S. Marshals Service and everybody in the community.
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part → entail → community
You need to get that word out immediately.
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You → need → word
So, for them to have that kind of delay raises a huge red flag," Lindsay said.
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Lindsay → raise → flag
"And it begs the question, why, why did they delay?
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they → beg → question
Lindsay said local law enforcement should have immediately been contacted once prison staff realized the inmate was unaccounted for.
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inmate → say → ?
Retired FBI Special Agent Jonathan Gilliam told Fox News Digital the community should have been notified much sooner.
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community → retire → Digital
"That community should put out an emergency text to everyone to make sure none of their family members are missing as he could have killed or kidnapped someone after ditching the truck," Gilliam said.
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Gilliam → put → truck
TBI said Wednesday afternoon that the reward in the search for Morley is now $15,000 — $7,500 from the governor’s office, $5,000 from the U.S. Marshals and $2,500 from TBI.
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reward → say → TBI
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
