Perry County jail escapee captured kayaking on Buffalo River

PERRY COUNTY, Tenn. — A search for a missing inmate results in an unexpected discovery.

Jamie Hinson

According to Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems, on Monday, July 10, inmates Jeremy Christy and Jamie Hinson escaped from the Perry County Jail after creating a hole in the chain link fence surrounding the rec yard.

Sheriff Weems says Christy was taken back into custody moments after the escape, but Hinson was able to avoid capture and escape from the property.

After a day-long search effort, Sheriff Weems says authorities located Hinson kayaking on the Buffalo River.

Weems says it’s believed that Hinson broke into a river camp and stayed overnight, stealing knives, food, beer, a hatchet and a kayak.

Weems says Hinson was taken into custody without incident and transported back to the Perry County Jail.

According to Sheriff Weems, both Christy and Hinson are “career criminals” who now face an additional five year sentence for the escape charge.

Weems says he’s also beginning a project to improve the facility, and a ten-foot wall surrounded by razor wire is expected to be constructed around the jail.

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