After a manhunt was issued for an escaped Mississippi prisoner on Thursday afternoon, inmate Shunekndrick Huffman has been placed back in custody at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.
Huffman, 20, was initially sentenced in 2019 to seven years in prison followed by three years probation for aggravated assault in Leake County. He was scheduled to be released from prison this December prior to his attempted escape.
According to Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, roughly 40 Rankin County Deputies responded to the prison along with numerous other officers from state agencies and local metro police departments. A perimeter was set up around the area and Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) investigators and MDOC staff began a head count at the prison to verify that an inmate.
Rankin County K-9 units began to track the escapee where it was believed he had left the facility, but heavy rainfall set in not long after they began to track, prohibiting the K-9s from going any further.
Shortly after the rain stopped, a car pulled up to a Rankin County Deputy. The female in the car told the deputy that she, her sister, and mother had been held at gunpoint at her mother’s residence by the escapee and that Huffman had stolen a White Honda Passenger Car from them
Huffman was captured in a dumpster at the Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield, which is nearly two miles from the prison. Huffman faces multiple felony charges including three counts of kidnapping, home invasion, auto theft, and possession of a stolen firearm, as well as escape.
MDOC reports that a siren to alert Rankin County residents when an inmate escapes the prison malfunctioned when Huffman escaped.
“We are very sorry because the local community is a valuable resource for us,” MDOC Commissioner Burl Cain said. “We are immediately correcting the situation with the siren and actively investigating the events surrounding the escape. I want to thank everyone for helping us get this escapee back in custody so quickly.”
