A Mississippi man has been jailed for 40 years for breaking out of a correctional facility just a few months to his release for a 7-year prison sentence.
21-year-old Shunekndrick Huffman, fled Central Mississippi Correctional Facility on 25 August, 2022, broke into a nearby home and held two people at gunpoint, according to authorities.
He had nearly finished a seven-year sentence for aggravated assault and was expected to be released in December. Huffman was said to have stolen a car from one of the hostages and fled on foot after crashing it. He was later found hiding in a trash can at Mississippi State Hospital in Whitfield two miles from the prison.
The convict pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping on Monday and according to Rankin County district attorney Bubba Bramlett, a judge gave Huffman 40 years in state prison. The ill-advised prison break means he could be in his 60s before he can walk free.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain told local TV that the facility would improve its siren system to prevent future escapes. He also apologised at the time of the incident after a siren to alert locals to an escaped convict failed to go off.