By Trey Youngdahl
Inmates have escaped from the Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center (JEHCC) once more. Two inmates on the roster of the nearby prison in Hodgens, Oklahoma, (Le Flore County) have escaped.
An orange alert was sent out by JEHCC on Saturday which read, “At 11:15am, inmate (David James) was determined to be a walk-away.”
According to the Oklahoma DOC, James, also known as “Scooter” and possibly the last names of Jernagan or Jernigan, is currently serving a 16-year sentence for unlawful possession of controlled drugs with intent to distribute and trafficking illegal drugs out of Kay County. James has prior offenses including conjoint robbery and burglary.
James is described as being a 160 pound, 5-foot-10 white male with black hair, brown eyes, and several tattoos, including one on his right arm that reads, “hate what?” and another on the right side of his neck that may be Chinese characters.
Another alert was sent out shortly after the first, which read, “At 11:15am, inmate (Justin Turner) was determined to be a walk-away.”
According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Turner,33, is currently serving a 5-year sentence for assault and battery on a police officer and trafficking illegal drugs out of Oklahoma County.
Turner has prior offenses such as larceny, burglary, child abuse, injuring or burning of a public building, and other offenses.
Turner is described as being a 220 pound, 6-foot white male with brown hair and blue eyes with several face tattoos and another tattoo of music notes behind his left ear leading partway down his neck.
In a post on social media, Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer advised area residents to, “Keep doors locked, and pull keys from your vehicles. Deputies will be in the area and If you see anything suspicious contact the PCSO.”
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office can be contacted by calling 479-394-2511.
You can sign up for Orange Alerts from the Oklahoma DOC by texting the code JEHCC to 77295.
JEHCC is located approximately 30 miles from the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line where it meets Polk County.
[Ethan Nahté contributed to this story.]
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