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Accused murderer escapes Kalamazoo jail; recaptured in 30 minutes

Posted at 12:20 PM, Sep 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-19 12:21:23-04

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo County Sheriff says a suspected murderer is back in custody after escaping the jail Wednesday morning.

Undersheriff Jim Van Dyken says that the suspect climbed two fences to get out during outdoor time at the jail. He was on the loose for about 33 minutes.

"It was extreme danger. I had personally asked for every marked unit that was available in the Kalamazoo County area to come and work on this immediately which they did," Van Dyken explained.

Van Dyken would not identify the suspect until he is charged with escape.

“We’ve already begun an examination of the fence to make sure that there’s no weak points or to shore up the weak point that we’ve discovered today," he explained.

Van Dyken added, "We’ll continue with business as usual. This is a once in a two decade occurrence but absolutely don’t want to see this happen again.”

The suspect was taken into custody near the corner of Byrant and Portage Street by an officer with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Township police and Michigan State Police also assisted in the manhunt.  The suspect was able to get across the I-94 Business Loop.

No one was injured during the escape or chase.

We'll have more details when they become available.