Burglary suspect gets out of jail — and steals government car in parking lot, cops say

A man freed after spending 568 days and 17 hours in jail was back behind bars within minutes, after he stole a vehicle, according to investigators in Alabama.

That car happened to belong to the corrections department, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 8 news release.

The suspect was freed March 7 from the Morgan County jail in Decatur after serving time for burglary, possession and traffic charges, officials said. Decatur is about an 85-mile drive north from Birmingham.

“Upon his release, (he) proceeded to steal a vintage, 2009 Ford Crown Victoria Corrections vehicle from the parking lot,” the sheriff’s office said.

“A jail lieutenant happened to see this and was able to follow the vehicle and notify area units. The vehicle was quickly recovered on 6th Ave in Decatur.”

That’s just under 2 miles northwest of the jail, maps show.

The suspect was re-arrested and taken back to the Morgan County Jail.

He is charged with first-degree theft, officials said. Bond was set at $20,000.

Jail records show the suspect was previously arrested in August 2022 on charges of breaking and entering of an auto and failure to appear/comply/pay.

Investigators did not report where he was headed when stopped, but his home was in the opposite direction.

This story was originally published March 11, 2024 at 4:45 AM with the headline "Burglary suspect gets out of jail — and steals government car in parking lot, cops say."