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Jailbreak in Pike County, manhunt underway

(via Flickr/davidsonscott15)

Updated 2:19 pm Monday (Sept. 10)

The Pike County Sheriff's Department says a fourth escaped inmate, Joseph Verive, is back in the Pike County jail.  He was taken into custody on Pike 411 less than 1 mile from hwy 161 without incident.

The fifth escaped inmate, William Wilkerson, remains on the loose. 

Updated 6:30 am Monday

Reports from KSDK-TV say three of the five men were captured in Midwest City, Okla., about 10 miles from Oklahoma City. They were panhandling when arrested. 

Updated 2:37 p.m. with details from the Pike County Sheriff's Office

Original story posted 11:35 a.m. Sept. 9

Five inmates escaped from the Pike County Jail last night. 

According to the Sheriff’s department, three of the inmates, Jacob Darnell, Jason Darnell and Emanuel Chatman, may have contacts in the St. Louis area who “may hide them out.”

Around 10:22 p.m. on Saturday night, the Pike Sheriff’s Office received a telephone call from a family member of an inmate claiming that there had been an escape.

According to the Sheriff’s Office: “A check of the pod and the video system showed that the escapees had removed a tamper resistant stainless steel shower head / controller gaining access to a service area and exiting the building.  The jail was completed in 1994 and the shower controls were original.  A complete inspection of the pods had been completed on the afternoon of 7 September 2012 and no damage was detected at that time.”

The five escaped men are:

  • Jacob A Darnell male,  age 22 .
  • Jason A Darnell male, age 25. .
  • Emanuel G. Chatman male, age 27.
  • William John Thomas Wilkerson, age 40.
  • Joseph A Veriveage, age 49.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the whereabouts of the men to call the Pike County Sheriff at 1-573-324-3202 or dial 911. 

Tim Lloyd was a founding host of We Live Here from 2015 to 2018 and was the Senior Producer of On Demand and Content Partnerships until Spring of 2020.