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| Inmate escapes from S. C. jail, despite warning |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 09/18/2003 |
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An inmate escaped from the Orangeburg-Calhoun Detention Center in South Carolina, despite a tip about the attempt. Gregory Blurton, 46, and fellow inmate Joseph F. Parham, 32, managed to cut through their cell bars and wire mesh covering their windows at about 2:51 a.m. Monday, according to an Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office report. Parham escaped, but Blurton was recaptured outside a fenced area after injuring himself in the attempt. Prosecutor Walter Bailey said Tuesday that his office was informed weeks ago that an escape attempt was eminent. Bailey said U.S. marshals had contacted assistant solicitor Richard Lackey four to six weeks ago. The marshals had come across confidential information that revealed specific names, and the method and means to accomplish the escape. Lackey informed the jail, Bailey said. Detention Center Director Willie Bamberg said his agency received information, but it concerned different inmates. Parham is an accused armed robber. Police still are searching for him, and think he may have had an accomplice. Blurton is a former contractor who, during his February 1998 trial, maintained he was working as a CIA operative in a scheme to rob Wal-Mart. Blurton is back behind bars after a trip to The Regional Medical Center. He apparently fell while attempting to scale a rooftop, according to a sheriff's office report. Shortly after the escape, state and local law enforcement agents conducted a raid on the holding areas of the detention facility in an effort to locate any weapons or tools. Bamberg said officers found two shanks made from toothbrushes and a hacksaw blade. It's not clear whether the blade was used in the escape or how it even got inside the jail. |
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