Watch: Inmate Uses Pencil to Open Cell Door, Escape S.C. Jail
What to Know
- A New York inmate being held in a South Carolina jail for extradition to North Carolina escaped Tuesday by using a pencil to manipulate his cell door's locking mechanism, according to investigators.
- Authorities said Charles Alexander Dieterich left his cell, moved through the jail's kitchen area, exited through an unlocked door used by kitchen trustees and scaled a barbed-wire fence before escaping the facility.
- Deputies recaptured Dieterich about 30 minutes later roughly a mile from the jail. Officials said he assaulted a deputy during the arrest and was treated for cuts suffered while climbing the fence before being returned to custody.
“Dieterich then traveled through the kitchen area of the detention center and exited through an unlocked door. This door is routinely used by jail trustees assigned to kitchen duties. ... After exiting the building, Dieterich entered a secured area surrounded by fencing and barbed wire. Dieterich scaled the fence and barbed wire, sustaining cuts.”
The escape was discovered around 4:40 p.m. when staff found a door ajar. Dieterich managed to get just over a mile north of the jail when deputies found him along Jones Road, officials said.
“While deputies attempted to detain the male subject, he assaulted a deputy before being taken into custody,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Following positive identification, Dieterich was transported to McLeod Health Cheraw for treatment of injuries sustained while climbing over the barbed wire fence. Dieterich was later medically cleared and transported back to the Chesterfield County Detention Center.”
New security measures are being implemented at the B-Work Camp where 30-year-old Dieterich was being held, including an additional guard at the door, officials said.
He was originally arrested in June on charges of possession, concealment, sale, or disposal of a stolen vehicle, and manufacture/possession of a Schedule I, II, or III controlled substances with intent to distribute, officials said.
“Dieterich pleaded guilty to those charges on August 13 ... and was sentenced to time served,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Dieterich remained in custody ... due to an active hold for charges in North Carolina. At the time of his escape, a waiver of extradition had not been signed due to Dieterich refusing to do so.”
The jail is near the city of Chesterfield, about a 60-mile drive southeast from uptown Charlotte.
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