Inmate Escapes Crockett County Jail
Press Release from the Crockett County Sheriffs Office:
ALAMO, TN – [March 25, 2026] – The Crockett County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the escape of an inmate from the Crockett County Jail and has launched a manhunt to apprehend him.
Courtesy of the Crockett County Sheriffs Office
Gerald Pete Samples, a 59-year-old white male, escaped custody this morning. Samples is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs approximately 207 pounds, and was last seen wearing a brown shirt and brown pants. He was being held on a Circuit Court violation since August 9, 2025. Samples has a prior history of escape, having fled custody in 2020, and is considered a career criminal.
The manhunt is currently focused in Gibson County.
According to the Crockett County Sheriff’s Department, Gerald “Pete” Samples has been housed in the Crockett County Jail since August 2025, awaiting extradition to Virginia where he faces multiple felony charges for solicitation of a Child 15 years or younger by electronic means from July 2024.
Virginia is awaiting approval from the Tennessee Governor’s Extradition Division so that authorities in Prince William, Virginia can transport Samples to Virginia to face those charges.
As part of our investigation into his escape, camera footage shows he escaped around 4:41 AM this morning. He remains at large with a multi-agency manhunt as our primary concern at this time is bringing Samples back into custody.
According to an arrest warrant issued on June 27, 2025 from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Samples used electronic means of communication to solicit a child under the age of 15-years old to engage in sexual actions with him between July 8, 2024 and July 12, 2024. The charge is a Class 5 felony in Virginia.
Investigators are conducting a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the escape including whether or not there are accomplices, however, catching Samples remains the Sheriff’s Office top priority.
Anyone who sees Samples or has information about his whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately.
The Crockett County Sheriff’s Office thanks the public for their vigilance and assistance in bringing this individual back into custody. Updates may be provided as they become available.
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