Detainees at the Livingston County Jail are being held under “lock down” conditions after what’s being called either an escape attempt or a practice run.

Sheriff Steve Cox tells us that on Sunday, as his detention officer was about to lock down the male detainees in one cell block, a male inmate “bolted out of the cell area and ran down the hallway.”

 

Cox says the locked security doors prevented that man from exiting the jail portion of the building.

On July 4, two men escaped from confinement of the jail, and Cox says his information points toward the two inmates having made a practice attempt prior to the escape. In a news release, Cox said the inmates may have been testing a new detention officer.

“For the safety and security of our citizens, community, staff and detainees,” Cox said, “we have viewed this as an attempted escape or practice run to test a relatively new detehntion officer to actually escape from confinement.”

“Therefore, we are taking no chances and raised the facility to maximum security at least pending further investigation.”

The sheriff has ordered the entire jail be on maximum security lock down. That means detainees have 23 hours a day of lock down in their individual pods and one hour of scheduled recreation in the cell block day room each day.

Cox says the move affects all detainees, so they continue to follow the constitution and treat all detainees equally.

He says an investigation report and video evidence are being completed and the report will be submitted to Livingston County Prosecuting Attorney for consideration of possible charges against the suspect.