MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The inmate who walked away from his work detail on Monday is back in custody.
Bobby Lee Jackson, 26, was caught Tuesday afternoon at a southeast motel on Lamar.
Law enforcement said he left the shipping area of Drexel Chemical on Pennsylvania.
Jackson was on the run for more than 24 hours before the sheriff’s office caught up to him.
“Once you’re on work release there is no supervision from us,” William Gupton, Director of Shelby County Department of Corrections, told WREG.
Gupton explained no one from his staff was at Drexel Chemical to look over the convicted criminals.
Gupton said the work site supervisor was responsible for the inmates on Monday.
The Department of Corrections was only in charge of transporting the inmates from point A to point B, according to Gupton.
The prison has about 40 inmates on a work detail and more than one hundred people doing community service work off of the property.
“We have minimal issues with this, but you know we’re in the risk business when we do this,” Gupton explained.
The risk became reality when deputies said Jackson walked away from Pennsylvania Avenue and said he was not coming back.
A supervisor saw him walk towards a woman who gave him a gray sweatshirt an then began walking north on Third Street.
When WREG asked Gupton if he could understand why some people may be concerned, he said, “Totally. Totally understand…What I can tell you is that we will continue to monitor our guys and try to continue to make the best choice of who goes out there.”
Gupton said he was launching an internal investigation to make sure the site supervisor did everything he was trained to do.
The work group of about eight inmates is suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
Inmates are only put on work details based on the severity of their crimes, behavior, and a community review board’s approval.
Every work site requesting a work detail must go through training on how to work with inmates every year.
A supervisor saw him walk towards a woman who gave him a gray sweatshirt an then began walking north on Third Street.
Jackson was sentenced to three years for aggravated burglary.
