Arkansas inmate escapes jail after allegedly attacking two guards

Authorities in Arkansas are searching for an inmate who allegedly assaulted two law enforcement officers and took a Taser before escaping from jail on foot. Officials announced on Thursday, October 29, that Rodney Jermaine Smith, 41, had escaped from the Brinkley Police Department Jail in Monroe County.

According to authorities, Smith attacked two members of the department’s personnel and took an officer’s Taser before fleeing. He was later reportedly seen walking along nearby railway tracks. Smith was wearing a white T-shirt, yellow jumpsuit trousers and white socks, but no shoes, when he escaped.

Authorities said he has numerous tattoos on his neck and arms. The report listed his offences as firearms possession, two counts of drug possession, possession of a firearm by certain persons and forgery. It also stated that records listed him as an inmate since 2013, although it did not clarify whether he had been held continuously at the Brinkley facility.

The escape follows a separate search in Tennessee for Jacob Allen Morley, a convicted murderer who escaped from prison and allegedly stole a nearby truck.

The sister of Morley’s victim said she learned about his escape from a friend rather than from Tennessee Department of Correction officials. Authorities in Tennessee have offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to Morley’s recapture. No reward for information leading to Smith’s recapture had been reported at the time of publication.