Morgan County Inmate Apprehended After Fleeing Jail While Mowing Lawn

By Jeremy Coumbes on September 1, 2021 at 2:04pm

Jacksonville Police were called to assist the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office yesterday after an inmate of the jail escaped.

Police were called to the jail located at 300 West Court Street at approximately 5:45 pm after an inmate reportedly ran away from the jail while he was mowing the lawn.

44-year-old Kyle D. Hoffman of the 300 block of Church Street was on work detail mowing the lawn and picking up trash when he fled from the yard.

Morgan County Sheriff Mike Carmody says Hoffman had been incarcerated at the jail for more than 100 days on a theft charge and several traffic offenses and had earned the privilege of the work detail and be able to go outside.

Carmody says Hoffman fled the jail on foot, Morgan County Deputies, and Jacksonville Police established a perimeter. He says during the course of the pursuit Hoffman tried to flag down at least one vehicle for a ride but was unsuccessful.

He was apprehended about 45 minutes later at 7:30 pm in 200 block of South West Street, approximately two and a half blocks from the jail.

Carmody says he along with several deputies, and members of the Jacksonville Police Department worked to locate Hoffman. He says during the course of the short investigation, they obtained information as to where Hoffman might run to, which turned out to be where he was apprehended.

Hoffman appeared in Morgan County Court this morning and was charged with aggravated escape, a class 2 felony.

Hoffman is due for a pre-trial hearing in Morgan County Court on Tuesday of next week on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, and theft of displayed merchandise more than $300 stemming from arrests in September and October of last year respectively, as well as charges of driving on a suspended license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle stemming from an April 22nd arrest this year.

Morgan County Circuit Judge Chris Reif raised Hoffman’s existing bond from $100,000 to $150,000 with 10% to apply. Hoffman is due in Morgan County Court for a preliminary hearing on the aggravated escape charge on September 28th at 10:00 am.