Jerry Raynes, the second of four inmates who escaped Hinds County, Miss. on Thursday has been arrested shortly after Dylan Arrington, another escapee, died following an exchange of gunfire with police in Carthage, Miss. Raynes was apprehended by members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force without incident and is being evaluated at a local hospital in Texas.
The arrest of Raynes is a considerable step in the investigation of the escape of the four inmates, especially since authorities have yet to locate the remaining two. On Thursday, 20-year-old Arrington wounded a deputy and set fire to a home while barricading himself inside before meeting an untimely death in a shootout.
Officers recovered the stolen Hinds County Public Works Ford F-150 truck used by Raynes during Sunday following his appearance on security camera footage at a gas station in proximity to the abandoned vehicle.
Meanwhile, the cooperative forces of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and Spring Valley PD are rightfully being lauded vision and determination that led to the arrest of Raynes, who may now be facing extradition back to Mississippi.
Since the arrest is a step in the right direction, police are doing their utmost to locate Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison, the other two escapees. It is hoped that the capture of Raynes will supplement the efforts of law enforcement in the capture of the fugitive inmates and, ultimately, help bring this case to a close.