Updated on Oct. 17, 2018 at 12:14 p.m.: The original article incorrectly stated that the suspension dates were Oct. 19 to Oct. 20. The correct dates are Oct. 19 to Oct. 30. Sidelines regrets the error.
Photo courtesy of Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office
A Rutherford County Adult Detention Center employee will be suspended for two weeks without pay after enabling two inmates to escape the detention center last week, according to a Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Last Wednesday, two detention center inmates, Dewayne Halfacre and Jonathan Baxter, overpowered a deputy and escaped the complex. The inmates were located and captured Thursday by multi-agency law enforcement officers after a 35-hour manhunt.
It was announced today that, due to last week’s incident, Deputy Beth Miles will be suspended without pay from Oct. 19 to Oct. 30 and has been placed on probation for one year.
According to the release, Miles was working as the central control operator when Halfacre and Baxter were accused of assaulting a detention center deputy around 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 10. During that time, the injured deputy could be heard calling out on her radio for assistance, and another employee alerted other detention center workers who then assisted the injured deputy. The escapees also pulled the fire alarm as an additional distraction.
The release states that while Miles was operating the doors for deputies responding to the incident, she opened the exterior door at the bottom of the fire escape that opened onto the back loading dock of the facility. Miles did not properly identify those who were requesting access into the secure area, which allowed the inmates to escape.
The release adds, “The order for jeopardizing standard security measures is defined as an intentional or unintentional action that violates standard security measures designed to maintain custody and containment of inmates and to provide protection for inmates, staff and citizens.”
Miles has worked for sheriff’s office for nine years and may be fired for any future infractions.
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