We have been notified from the Walton County Sherriff’s Department and Walton County School District that there is an escape convict in South Walton County. All schools will be open however if you choose to keep your children home it will be an excused absence. All schools will be on lockdown until we hear from the sheriff’s department. All security measures will be taken and no one other than school personnel will be permitted in the school. Additional information will be sent as soon as we have received it.
Replies
71
Beach Fanatic
Thank you WCSO and BCSO for protecting our community! Great job!!
SoWal Guide
Thank you WCSO and BCSO for protecting our community! Great job!!
Very thankful for the hard work and commitment of our WCSO and all our local responders!
Beach Fanatic
Children that did not attend school were 'excused'. That was a misprint by the Sun.
Thats my point on the misinformation. Sun / NWFL Daily need to do a better job, or WCSO needs more updated reports...as many asked for on Facebook and not everyone does Facebook BTW.
No one is taking anything away from the boots on the ground. Great job and thank you!
My question lies with the staffing numbers that were actually out working in SoWal and if the numbers were adequate at the times of the two chases. It seems like it took a lot of time to get everyone down here and set up at around 9:00am...the actual time line and unit responses will be interesting to see.
If most of the staff had to travel from the North End, that's something that should be looked at. Adequate staffing after hours and on weekends... (The highest rank working weekends is a Lieutenant).
Banned
WZEP...
It was a long weekend for lawmen, but longer for Louisiana escapee Christopher Stringer as he evaded capture for two days in the thick woods and marshes of south Walton.
However, with the patience of a master chessman, Walton County deputies turned up the pressure on Stringer and he made a mistake. Deputies captured Stringer Saturday night around 8:30 PM after a 48 hour manhunt.
Stringer and two other inmates escaped from the Tensas Parish Louisiana jail Thursday, stole a car in Mississippi and headed for the Gulf Coast.
Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. says things got serious when one of his deputies spotted the trio in a stolen car Thursday night in South Walton. Adkinson said deputies gave chase and the three suspects wrecked their vehicle. One suspect was captured and the other two bailed out on foot.
A short time later, they stole another vehicle and deputies disabled it with spike strips. They caught one more but Stringer took to the swamp.
Sheriff Adkinson said his officers had Stringer contained in a wooded area when a Bay County deputy saw him trying to make it to the beach. Sheriff Adkinson said he was “wore out” and offered little resistance.
Sheriff’s helicopters also kept the pressure on flying over the area searching for the two days.
While social media can play an important role, another tool law enforcement used during the manhunt was the Reverse 911 System. Sheriff Adkinson said it and a close public support was vital.
The Sheriff spoke to the escape moments after he was captured. “He said he was depressed and didn’t want to go back to jail. He just made things a whole lot worse,” said Adkinson.
Stringer had 2 years left on a 5 year sentence for Grand Theft Auto in Louisiana. The facility Stringer and his two accomplices escaped from have had several escapes recently. The Tensas Parish Jail warden has refused to comment.
Stringer will face a judge on Wednesday and be extradited back to Louisiana.
Sheriff Adkinson expressed his appreciation for the public’s help and cooperation during the operation
We’ll have a one-on-one interview with Sheriff Adkinson Friday morning at 8:45 AM on WZEP AM 1460.
It was a long weekend for lawmen, but longer for Louisiana escapee Christopher Stringer as he evaded capture for two days in the thick woods and marshes of south Walton.
However, with the patience of a master chessman, Walton County deputies turned up the pressure on Stringer and he made a mistake. Deputies captured Stringer Saturday night around 8:30 PM after a 48 hour manhunt.
Stringer and two other inmates escaped from the Tensas Parish Louisiana jail Thursday, stole a car in Mississippi and headed for the Gulf Coast.
Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. says things got serious when one of his deputies spotted the trio in a stolen car Thursday night in South Walton. Adkinson said deputies gave chase and the three suspects wrecked their vehicle. One suspect was captured and the other two bailed out on foot.
A short time later, they stole another vehicle and deputies disabled it with spike strips. They caught one more but Stringer took to the swamp.
Sheriff Adkinson said his officers had Stringer contained in a wooded area when a Bay County deputy saw him trying to make it to the beach. Sheriff Adkinson said he was “wore out” and offered little resistance.
Sheriff’s helicopters also kept the pressure on flying over the area searching for the two days.
While social media can play an important role, another tool law enforcement used during the manhunt was the Reverse 911 System. Sheriff Adkinson said it and a close public support was vital.
The Sheriff spoke to the escape moments after he was captured. “He said he was depressed and didn’t want to go back to jail. He just made things a whole lot worse,” said Adkinson.
Stringer had 2 years left on a 5 year sentence for Grand Theft Auto in Louisiana. The facility Stringer and his two accomplices escaped from have had several escapes recently. The Tensas Parish Jail warden has refused to comment.
Stringer will face a judge on Wednesday and be extradited back to Louisiana.
Sheriff Adkinson expressed his appreciation for the public’s help and cooperation during the operation
We’ll have a one-on-one interview with Sheriff Adkinson Friday morning at 8:45 AM on WZEP AM 1460.
Beach Fanatic
String and some toothpaste...
What is the jail built with?
Inmate from Louisiana attempts escape from Walton County Jail
What is the jail built with?
Inmate from Louisiana attempts escape from Walton County Jail
Banned
Beach Fanatic
If at first you don't succeed, try try again. And, that's exactly what a Louisiana fugitive tried to do - for a second time in less than a week.
Walton County Chief Deputy Sheriff A.J. Smith said 26-year-old Chase Michael Courville of Lafayette, Louisiana, was caught during an escape attempt from the Walton County Jail early Sunday morning.
Courville was one of three Louisiana inmates who escaped from the Tensas Parish, Louisiana Jail last Thursday, stole a car in Mississippi and was captured by Walton County deputies over the weekend. Courville was serving time for armed robbery in Lousiana when he escaped.
Chief Smith says deputies discovered a large crack running down the left side of the glass almost the entire length of the window. Deputies also located a small piece of sleeping mat covering the welded area on the bottom of the vertical bars. Under the piece of mat was a hidden piece of string tucked inside the bar. The window bar was cut almost completely through at the bottom with a small piece holding the bottom of the window frame.
Deputies immediately searched the adjoining cells as a precaution and found another inmate with several rolls of braided string like the type used by Courville to saw through the bars. The string was made from a jail blanket coated in toothpaste. Chief Smith said he cannot remember an escape attempt from the Walton County Jail.
Courville was immediately placed in isolation under guard. Major Brian Schultz, Warden of the Walton County Jail said Courville is a serious security risk and deputies have taken extra precautions with him. "The public can be assured he is secure. We have taken steps to see that he isn't about to go anywhere. He's under 24 hour surveillance now by our finest officers and we have him in a a special location," said Major Schultz.
He now faces additional charges of Attempted Escape from a Correctional Facility.
Walton County Chief Deputy Sheriff A.J. Smith said 26-year-old Chase Michael Courville of Lafayette, Louisiana, was caught during an escape attempt from the Walton County Jail early Sunday morning.
Courville was one of three Louisiana inmates who escaped from the Tensas Parish, Louisiana Jail last Thursday, stole a car in Mississippi and was captured by Walton County deputies over the weekend. Courville was serving time for armed robbery in Lousiana when he escaped.
Chief Smith says deputies discovered a large crack running down the left side of the glass almost the entire length of the window. Deputies also located a small piece of sleeping mat covering the welded area on the bottom of the vertical bars. Under the piece of mat was a hidden piece of string tucked inside the bar. The window bar was cut almost completely through at the bottom with a small piece holding the bottom of the window frame.
Deputies immediately searched the adjoining cells as a precaution and found another inmate with several rolls of braided string like the type used by Courville to saw through the bars. The string was made from a jail blanket coated in toothpaste. Chief Smith said he cannot remember an escape attempt from the Walton County Jail.
Courville was immediately placed in isolation under guard. Major Brian Schultz, Warden of the Walton County Jail said Courville is a serious security risk and deputies have taken extra precautions with him. "The public can be assured he is secure. We have taken steps to see that he isn't about to go anywhere. He's under 24 hour surveillance now by our finest officers and we have him in a a special location," said Major Schultz.
He now faces additional charges of Attempted Escape from a Correctional Facility.
Beach Fanatic
Why wasn't the one time escapee secured properly and under 24 hr watch the first time???
Banned
LONG LONG way from freedom....he hadn't even gotten through the plexiglass or the razor wired fence.
SWGB
The way he was breaking out was akin to using a toy bucket for beach nourishment; if you've got 20 years to kill it'll work eventually.
Beach Fanatic
Some new info coming out about what all happened that early AM.
Hearing that staffing on the road was light (maybe only three on-duty officers?). There were two vehicle chases, but the confusion started after the first and as the second was starting to unfold.
Stringer DID NOT get in the second car. He stayed behind and was allegedly in Inlet Beach the whole time the SO was setting up and chasing "someone" in the 283 / 395 area.
Need more officers in the south end at night.
Hearing that staffing on the road was light (maybe only three on-duty officers?). There were two vehicle chases, but the confusion started after the first and as the second was starting to unfold.
Stringer DID NOT get in the second car. He stayed behind and was allegedly in Inlet Beach the whole time the SO was setting up and chasing "someone" in the 283 / 395 area.
Need more officers in the south end at night.
SWGB
At least once every six years according to the trend.
Beach Fanatic
Three? South end alone? Wow that's an increase from the days when ShallowsFuzz had everything south of Rock Hill on the midnight shift by himself!
Beach Fanatic
Three? South end alone? Wow that's an increase from the days when ShallowsFuzz had everything south of Rock Hill on the midnight shift by himself!
So is it OK for there to only be three patrol deputies in SoWal at night? Sounds really thin. Where are all the other staff? FHP works most of the wrecks (like the one yesterday in Freeport where a County Ambulance rearended a car...).
I guess I'd expect more staff on the road.
Beach Fanatic
There are reasons for FHP working those wrecks and not WCSO as I understand it.
Beach Fanatic
Can you share? Do you know if ambulance was occupied?
Beach Fanatic
I do not know if they had a patient or not. I think having FHP a state agency vs a Local department takes the possibility of bias out of it.
Banned
FHP normally works state maintained roads/hwy's unless it's someone like the principal of an Academy, then its a cluster fluck...to screw up a crime scene....and not hold a drunk accountable for his actions.
Beach Fanatic
FHP normally works state maintained roads/hwy's unless it's someone like the principal of an Academy, then its a cluster fluck...to screw up a crime scene....and not hold a drunk accountable for his actions.
You are very correct. Did you know that there was also a gun found in the car?
Banned
You are very correct. Did you know that there was also a gun found in the car?I remember a FHP trooper mentioning that.
Beach Fanatic
And back to whether three officers in South Walton is enough - historically that's an increase but I'd venture to say we should probably have four, especially when one of our officers has to leave their zone down here to book someone in at the county jail.
The rest of the staff are in the rest of the county, where coverage can be a bit thin, especially if one needs a cup of coffee, a cold drink or a dignified nature call.
The rest of the staff are in the rest of the county, where coverage can be a bit thin, especially if one needs a cup of coffee, a cold drink or a dignified nature call.
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