Inmates ‘walk away’ from Webster County detention center, captured 12 hours later

by MATT HUGHES
J-E Editor
A pair of inmates who would have been out of jail in time for Christmas will not be looking at a longer stay after they “walked away” from the Webster County Detention Center at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Monday, according to the Kentucky State Police.

Patrick Jermaine McGuire, 20, and Jerrino Don Johnson, 24, were being housed in Webster County’s restricted custody center as part of the state approved work release program when they made the decision to escape.


Inmate eligibility for the work release program is determined by the state, with only minimum security inmates being allowed into the program.

“We do a head count every hour and walk throughs ever fifteen minutes,” said Elder. “At the most they had a fifteen head start when we started looking for them.”

According to Elder, the center, which was built in 1998, is designed more to keep outsiders out than it is to keep inmates in because the inmates housed there are considered low risk of running.

McGuire is a black male, approximately 5’7”, 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing jeans and a gray jacket.

Johnson is a black male, approximately 5’11”, 165 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing jeans and a white t-shirt.

On Tuesday morning, Providence patrolman, Sgt. Will Dukes Jr, received a tip that suspects matching Johnson and McGuire’s descriptions had been sighted at West View Apartments in Providence. Dukes and Police Cheif Brent McDowell arrived on the scene moments later.
“Sgt. Dukes approached the front door and I went around the back,” said McDowell. “I captured one suspect trying to escape out the back door, and he caught the other inside the apartment.”

According to McDowell, the pair had less than a month to serve before they would have been release from jail. Now they are looking at up to five years in prison on an ecape charge.