Police: Escaped inmate on run could be in West Tennessee
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JACKSON, Tenn. — The search for an escaped inmate intensifies in West Tennessee almost 48 hours after he walked away from a work detail in Middle Tennessee. Originally from West Tennessee, an anonymous tip has led investigators to believe Jason Kirk found his way back here. Dozens of Jackson police officers swarmed a northeast Jackson truck stop Tuesday afternoon searching for any sign of Kirk. Although law enforcement officers do not believe he is dangerous, it still has those who witnessed the search concerned. “You never know who’s in your town,” Contericka White said. “You just have to be more careful and safe these days.” Jackson police converged on the Pilot Truck Stop off Exit 85 at Interstate 40 trying to find any sign of the fugitive. “We responded as if he was out here,” Interim Jackson Police Chief Julian Wiser said. “We had several officers responding to the area, and we checked all the parking lots and inside the stores.” Police said Kirk took off in a stolen truck Monday morning from a work detail in Lawrence County, an escape investigators say took correction officers about 30 minutes to even notice. “There’s been a lot of this going on lately with people breaking out of prison,” resident Larry McBryde said. “It makes me wonder how our security is at some of these jails and prisons and how they’re getting out.” On the run for almost 48 hours, an anonymous tip is what investigators say led them to search for Kirk here in Jackson. “It wasn’t a first-hand account that someone saw him here,” Wiser said. “Someone believed that he could be at this location.” Officials said Kirk was originally convicted of theft out of Chester County but was moved to Lawrence County earlier this year due to overcrowding. Jackson police said he may have come back to West Tennessee to see family members, one of whom works at the Pilot Truck Stop. “When you have a situation like this where there are so many people to be check in to, especially when family is involved, it can be a tough situation,” McBryde said. After searching all of the area businesses, officers said they found no sign of Kirk but will continue to try and track him down. Police said Kirk may be driving a stolen black or dark colored Ford Mustang. If you have seen him or know where he can be found, contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.
