Spiro man escapes Roland jail

A Spiro man is charged with escaping from Department of Corrections after he reportedly escaped from the Roland City Jail in March.

Jeffery W. Smith, 48, was charged on April 2 in Sequoyah County District Court and a warrant was issued for his arrest the same day, according to court records. Associate District Judge Kyle Waters has set his bond at $10,000.

Roland Police officer Chris Waters reported at 11:30 a.m. on March 26, he was told an inmate (Smith) was missing from the Roland Jail and following a search, Smith was not located.

Jailer/dispatcher Brianne Ramirez said Smith was in the day room where he was allowed to watch television and eat. Ramirez claimed that when she left to use the restroom, Smith was watching television and doing laundry. She said when lunch was delivered at about 11:20 a.m. for Smith, she went to give it to him and found he was gone. She also found the back door to the facility cracked open, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case.

When Waters reviewed security footage, it showed Smith walking out the back door of the facility at around 11:12 a.m. Smith can then be seen removing his jail clothing and running shirtless through the park before running to some duplexes and disappearing minutes later.

Court documents state Smith was arrested on March 25 on a Roland City warrant for failure to appear after being charged with driving under suspension. Smith was arraigned the following day, where he pled guilty to the charge and agreed to work off his fines.

Smith is described as being a caucasian male with brown hair and green eyes. He is 5’8 and weighs 145 pounds.

District Attorney Jack Thorp said if found guilty of the charge, Smith could face two to seven years imprisonment.