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| Florida Jail Escapee Caught After Month On Lam |
| By St. Petersburg Times |
| Published: 08/06/2001 |
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An inmate who escaped from the Hernando County jail last month is back behind bars thanks apparently to a former cell mate. Trooper Robert Carbone of the Florida Highway Patrol says he and two other troopers were taking a break at a Hudson gas station Wednesday night when a driver pulled up next to them. 'He says, 'The guy who escaped from the jail is inside that Publix' ' Carbone recalled. 'I asked him how he knew, and he said he had served time with him.' The troopers took off for the supermarket, 13752 Little Road, and found the escapee, John Devane, sitting on a bench just inside the entrance. At first, he tried to give them an incorrect birthday and spelling of his last name, Carbone said. But when a Pasco County deputy arrived with a photograph of the missing Hernando inmate, he came clean. 'He said he was waiting for a ride from his father,' Carbone said. 'The employees said he had been there more than an hour. Apparently, no one wanted anything to do with him. His friends and family . . . were all afraid.' Devane, 35, escaped from the Hernando County jail July 3, when a corrections officer escorted Devane and another inmate outside the compound to empty trash. He said he needed to go to the bathroom behind the trash bin and, once out of the officer's sight, he fled. Officials later learned that Devane was not supposed to be allowed outside the jail in the first place. But while doing chores around the facility, he had found an inmate identification bracelet that had belonged to a low-security risk inmate. Devane, a high-security risk because he was awaiting prison transfer on an armed burglary conviction, switched bracelets, authorities said. It was enough to fool officers into letting him go outside escorted. The officer who was supposed to be watching Devane was suspended for three days without pay. The jail trash bins have since been moved inside the fenced perimeter to prevent further escapes. Carbone said authorities are not sure where Devane hid during his month of freedom. He was spotted at a Pasco motel, but managed to elude police. The Publix where he was arrested is only two miles from one of his last known addresses, 15726 Winner Lane in Hudson. He remained in the Land O'Lakes jail Thursday, awaiting transport back to Hernando -- and eventually on to prison, where he will serve four years for armed burglary. |
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