A West Central inmate was apprehended following a pursuit Sunday after he escaped from the facility Saturday.
Matthew I. McKenzie, 34, of Sidney was charged with one count of escape, a felony of the third degree, following the incident. He was being held at the Tri-County Regional Jail Tuesday.
According to reports from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were sent to West Central Community Correctional Facility, 18200 Route 4, at 2:53 a.m. Sunday in reference to an inmate who officials believe escaped on Saturday.
UCSO Chief Deputy Tom Morgan said West Central officials realized McKenzie escaped following a headcount at 2 a.m. Sunday. However, he said officials believe he “may have been gone since 7 p.m. the night before.”
Morgan said West Central officials will conduct an internal investigation of the escape, but there is “speculation” McKenzie escaped during a drill.
“There is some speculation that he may have escaped during a fire drill,” Morgan said.
UCSO “saturated the area with deputies” after being notified of an escaped inmate shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, Morgan said.
He explained that law enforcement “searched for some time” before suspending the search when realizing McKenzie could have been gone for hours and was likely no longer in the area. Morgan said no helicopter or K9 units were involved in the search.
On Sunday, “Marion County deputies were involved in a pursuit with the escapee and he was arrested and transported to the Tri-County Regional Jail,” according to a report from UCSO.
Morgan said he did not know if McKenzie was involved in a vehicle pursuit or a foot pursuit.
He said he did not know what time or where in Marion County McKenzie was apprehended, but deputies from that agency notified UCSO that he was apprehended at 7:08 p.m. Sunday.
Officials from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and West Central Community Correctional Facility did not respond by press time.
According to records from the Logan County Municipal Court, McKenzie was charged with receiving stolen property on October 16, 2022 and failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer on October 17, 2022.
The first charge was dismissed by the state on March 28 while the second charge, a third-degree felony, resulted in community control on May 3.
West Central is an alternative correctional facility that offers rehabilitative treatment for non-violent offenders in eight counties: Champaign, Clark, Delaware, Logan, Madison, Marion, Morrow and Union.
Incarcerated men and women at West Central generally participate in a four- to six-month program in lieu of serving prison time.