LONOKE, Ark — On Saturday, July 8, a Sebastian County inmate broke out of a transportation van that was transporting prisoners committed to the Arkansas Department of Corrections in Eastern Arkansas.
The inmate reportedly escaped from the van when it was stopped for gas in Lonoke, according to the City of Lonoke Police Department (LPD).
Officials say the van had stopped for gas at Jordan's Kwik Stop near Interstate 40.
Joshua Abbott, an inmate inside the van allegedly "broke out" of the van and took off "into the wooded area east of the gas station."
The other prisoners in the van reportedly did not participate in the escape.
Officials say Lonoke authorities, Arkansas State Police, the Arkansas Department of Corrections, and a K-9 team "flooded the area" to search for the inmate until finally capturing him the same day.
An internal investigation is being conducted by Sebastian County Sheriff's Office investigators.
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