Authorities are searching the Franklin County area for three inmates who may have escaped from a prison transit bus Friday afternoon.
According to a statement by West City Police Chief Scott Choisser, his department was notified by a private inmate transportation company that three inmates has escaped their bus while in transit across southern Illinois.
The company advised the WCPD it was their belief the inmates escaped their custody during one of their routine stops.
One of those stops included the West City McDonald's. Choisser's statement said the bus stopped at the McDonald's at approximately 1:25 p.m. Friday.
The missing inmates were not discovered until the transport reached the Crittenden County Detention Center in Kentucky around 4:45 p.m.
Choisser said the public should be alert and on the lookout for the trio as authorities continue to investigate and review surveillance video.
The suspects are Charles L. Kelly, 21, Randall W. Napier, 33, and Alonzo D. Young, 24.
Kelly is a white male, 5'5", 140 pounds, with brown eyes and hair.
Napier is a white male, 5'7", 130 pounds, with brown eyes and hair.
Young is a black male, 5'11", 140 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
All three suspects are reported to be wearing casual attire.
Sources near Whittington reported officers with the Illinois State Police, the ISP K-9 unit, and Franklin County Sheriff's deputies searching homes near Burton's Café around 10 p.m. Friday evening.
UPDATE: A Kentucky news source, The Crittenden Press, reported just before midnight Friday that one escapee, Kelly, had been taken into custody in Marion, Kentucky. Police found him hiding behind a convenience store around 11:15 p.m.
Employees at the Five Star Convenience Center notified authorities that Kelly was in the store making hotel inquiries.
The Benton News was unable to confirm these details with authorities.
