Jefferson County authorities say a flaw in the construction of the county jail led to a brief escape by one of its detainees this past weekend.
During the early morning hours on Sunday, Ray Tate escaped from his cell, but was taken into custody without incident or injury.
Deputies and officers from the Mt. Vernon Police Department determined no other detainees were involved and all were present and accounted for.
The initial investigation revealed Tate discovered a way to get out of his cell, due to a flaw in the original construction of the Justice Center, limited to three specialty cells.
Due to security protocols in the jail, no other information about the escape attempt will be released.
Sheriff Jeff Bullard will communicate the details of the flaw through the Sheriff's Association so other jails with similar construction will be able to correct the flaw.
