A face mask helped one Illinois inmate escape more than the coronavirus.
The FBI placed a $2,000 reward for information about the whereabouts of an inmate who escaped a Cook County jail in Illinois by covering his face and using other deceptive tactics to trade identities with another inmate who was being released from the facility.
Jahquez Scott was in custody for weapons charges while being paroled for a sentence related to the battery of an officer. Quintin Henderson was about to be released from jail on his own recognizance after being arrested for drug-related crimes. According to Cook County sheriffâs spokeswoman Sophia Ansari, Scott offered Henderson $1,000 to trade places with him.
Scott covered his face using a mask provided because of the coronavirus and borrowed a sweatshirt from another inmate to disguise himself. When Henderson’s name was called to be released, Scott signed the paperwork and walked out of the jail in Henderson’s place. Henderson then told officers in the jail that he had fallen asleep and didn’t hear his name called.
After further investigation, the jail said that Henderson had helped Scott escape. Henderson was not released from the facility and is being held in the jail in lieu of $25,000 bond. He was charged with aiding and abetting the escape of a felon.
Scott is still at large, and the FBI is offering the reward in exchange for information leading to Scott’s arrest. The Cook County Jail is investigating the facility’s handling of the incident as well.
