US jail locks down for 12 hours after officers forget to transport convicted killer from courthouse
A jail in the United States (US) went into lockdown for 12 hours after officers discovered that a convicted murderer had gone missing — only to later realise they had forgotten to transport him back from the courthouse.
According to WSBTV, the search ended after 12 hours when officers found Julian Brooks Deloach sitting in a holding cell at the courthouse.
Convict goes missing after court appearance
Last month, Deloach, who was convicted of murder in 1984, was found missing from the Clayton County jail in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Source: The Independent
Deloach had been granted parole in 2010 but it was soon revoked after he committed a misdemeanour.
Because of this, he was transferred from the state prison to the jail for a court appearance.
Afterward, he was supposed to be returned to jail, but during a headcount, it was discovered that he was nowhere to be found.
Jail goes into lockdown
The jail immediately went into lockdown as officers began searching the premises for the missing inmate.
“(Officers) searched every cell, every area of the jail, searching for him,” said Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen.
Their search eventually led them to review security camera footage, which revealed that Deloach was still in the courthouse holding cell — where the officers had inadvertently left him.
“There was a mix-up of who was going to take the inmate down, and ultimately, he was left inside the holding cell,” the sheriff explained.
By the time they located Deloach, more than 12 hours had passed.
As a result of the error, four officers were disciplined: two were demoted, and two others were suspended.
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Featured image adapted from The Independent and RDNE Stock project on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
