CONWAY - A third Faulkner County jailer has been fired after a recent escape by three inmates, a sheriff’s spokesman said Wednesday.
Correctional officer John Ross Bryan was fired because, like the other two jailers, he did not check on inmates who were in a recreational yard the day of the escape as often as regulations require, Chief Deputy Matt Rice said.
Bryan was fired Friday. The other two officers were fired earlier that day. The sheriff ’s office did not announce Bryan’s dismissal at the time. Rice said authorities were still investigating Bryan’s case when they announced the other two dismissals and were unable to notify Bryan until later in the day.
Rice identified the other dismissed jailers as Seth Ferguson and Christina Jordan.
All three have the right to appeal, Rice said.
The inmates, who were eventually captured, escaped on the afternoon of Aug. 17, when they pulled back a corner of a chain-link fence, broke through a locked chainlink gate and jumped over a barbed-wire fence, Rice said.
Two of the inmates - Joel Vermillion, 28, of Mayflower and Stacy Wilson, 41, of Vilonia - were taken back into custody Aug. 19. The third inmate, Jonathan Jackson, 24, of Greenbrier was arrested Aug. 20 at an Oklahoma City motel.
Rice said he thought these three jailers were the only ones assigned to check on the recreational yard at the time of the escape.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 09/26/2013