East Alabama inmate formally charged in dramatic getaway attempt in stolen police cruiser
Updated Feb 19, 2021;
A Gadsden man has been formally charged after authorities say he stole a patrol cruiser during a dramatic attempted getaway last week.
Jason Ray Boyd, 41, is now charged with first-degree escape, a Class B felony, as well as first-degree theft of property and two counts of criminal mischief, Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton announced Friday.
Horton said Gadsden police were taking Boyd back to jail and his restraints had been moved in sally port. As Boyd walked toward the detention center, surveillance cameras caught Boyd opening the door on a Gadsden police vehicle and fleeing from the detention center.
Kenneth Alan Lawson, 39, is charged with first-degree theft of property, Investigator Will Farley said.
Lawson was employed by a local flooring company, Farley said in a press release, and allegedly took property valued at $3,000 from a residence where work was being done.
The owner of the construction company found property he suspected belonged to the home owner, Farley said, and contacted the victim before law enforcement had been notified of the theft.
Deputies arrived at the site where Lawson was working and detained him, and Farley said they discovered more property from the residence.
Lawson was charged and booked into the Etowah County Detention Center on $5,000 bond.