Three inmates who escaped through the ventilation system of a jail in the Oklahoma City area may be armed, authorities said Friday.
The manhunt began after the men, who were locked up for felony property crimes, broke out of the Lincoln County Jail late Thursday and allegedly stole two pickup trucks in the city of Chandler, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and CNN affiliate KOCO.
There was a gun in one of the trucks, the station reported.
Lincoln County Sheriff Charles Dougherty told KOCO the .40-caliber Glock that was in one of the trucks is “loaded and ready to go to work.”
The trio then drove to Midwest City — about 50 miles southwest of Chandler — where they allegedly used debit cards found in one of the trucks, authorities told KOCO.
The inmates were identified as Brian Allen Moody, 23; Sonny Baker, 41; and Mark Dwayne Robbins, 23, according to the sheriff’s office.
Moody has a sister in the Midwest City area, Dougherty told reporters.
Police in Midwest City checked various addresses without success, KOCO reported.
Investigators were interviewing 21 other inmates who shared a cell with the escapees. They apparently climbed into an air conditioning vent, lowered themselves to a work area and walked out a back door, according to Dougherty.
Surveillance video showed the trio broke out about 11:26 p.m. Thursday, the sheriff said.
“We don’t know if the three are still together,” he told reporters.
Authorities believe the men may be armed with the loaded Glock but Dougherty said, “These guys have never shown any kind of violence before.”
