By Staff Report
An inmate at the Holmes County jail escaped while out on a work crew on Thursday morning. Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies are conducting a manhunt for the inmate.
William Morris was arrested on July 31, for a child support warrant. He was to serve 180 days or could pay a purge amount of $2,300.
He was assigned to an inmate work detail earlier in the week, cutting grass at Memorial Field.
The deputy supervising the work crew observed that Morris was not where he was supposed to be and upon an initial search, found where he had stashed the weed eater he had been using.
Additional HCSO personnel were notified and began searching for Morris. Shortly after the search began, dispatch received a call from a relative of Morris’s on Weeks Street, in Bonifay, stating that he was at their house.
Deputies responded to the residence, where occupants said that he entered the home and grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, then left on foot when they refused to give him a ride.
K-9 units responded and began tracking Morris. A citizen in the area informed authorities that he had given Morris a ride to Corbin Road in Washington County.
Because Morris is from the Kynesville area of Jackson County and his last known address is off Kynesville Highway, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was also notified.
Currently, both Jackson County and Bay County Sheriff’s Office helicopters are in the area of Corbin Road and the Washington and Jackson Counties are assisting deputies from Holmes, Washington, and Jackson County Sheriff’s Offices, local K-9 units, and the Florida Highway Patrol as they attempt to locate the suspect.
An escape warrant has been issued for Morris. Anyone with any information regarding his whereabouts are asked to contact their nearest law enforcement agency by dialing 911, or HCSO at 850-547-3681, option 1.
Garett Valcourt