Sheriff: Kansas inmate escapes jail, threatens officer with two-by-four
A 20-year-old Atchison man escaped jail Thursday morning after he bypassed a lock, according to Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie.
Laurie said “several security policies were not followed.”
Taggart Darnell Lee, who was in jail on suspicion of aggravated robbery, was chased several blocks by a jail officer before Lee picked up a two-by-four and threatened the unarmed officer, Laurie said in a news release. The escape happened at around 1:20 a.m. Officers cordoned off the area to try to find Lee but were unsuccessful.
Lee is considered dangerous and has a history of being armed, Laurie said. Atchison County is in northeast Kansas.
“A preliminary investigation by Sheriff’s administration revealed that several security policies were not followed by jail security staff, which allowed Lee to manipulate a door lock and make his way into an unsecured area of the jail and then outside of the jail,” he said.
Anyone with information about Lee’s whereabouts should call 911 dispatch at 913-367-4323 or the Atchison County Sheriff’s Office at 913-804-6080.
