Inmate walks away from jail, gets into waiting vehicle in his escape, Ohio cops says

Update: Inmate Jacob Loper was found and taken back into custody shortly after 4 a.m. Nov 4, less than 24 hours after he walked away from the Franklin County Corrections Center. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says he was able to escape as other inmates were being released, and it is “conducting a thorough internal review of the incident.”

Original Story

An Ohio inmate is missing after the county sheriff’s office says he walked away from jail.

Jacob Benjamin Loper, 20, was in custody in connection with federal felony drug charges when he escaped from Franklin County Corrections Center, according to a tweet from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

But as he was to be transferred over to custody with the U.S. Marshals Service on Nov. 3, Loper managed to walk away, WBNS reported. Officials say that after he left the corrections center, he got into a vehicle that was waiting outside.

The waiting vehicle — and its driver — have since been found, WCMH reported, but Loper was not with the driver.

Loper was last seen in the area of Burgess Avenue and Broad Street in Columbus, according to the sheriff’s tweet.

Officials did not say if a connection between Loper and the driver was known.

Anyone with information about where Loper might be is asked to call the county’s communications center at 614-525-3333.

This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Inmate walks away from jail, gets into waiting vehicle in his escape, Ohio cops says."