Escaped Mississippi inmate leads federal, Alabama agents on wild chase

Published 10:11 pm Monday, March 4, 2019

The Mississippi inmate who escaped from a county jail was recaptured Sunday after a bit of wild chase with U.S. Marshals.

Billy Hinton, 21, escaped from the Greene County Jail early Saturday. He was awaiting transfer to a state prison to serve a 7-year sentence for burglarizing a church.

Authorities believe Hinton stole two vehicles after his escape and was traveling to Alabama.

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Acting on a tip, U.S. Marshals closed in on Hinton at a house in Loxley, Alabama.

They spotted him and he fled into the woods. Tracking dogs were brought in to locate him.

Marshals later discovered he had escaped again in a stolen vehicle.

They contacted Hinton by phone and apparently convinced him to turn himself in. As he was headed to meet law enforcement officers, he apparently changed his mind, turned around and attempted to flee again. Officers spotted him and gave chase.

He eventually crashed the vehicle he was driving and fled on foot again before being run down and apprehended.

In addition to the prison sentence and charges of escape and auto theft in Mississippi, Hinton will eventually face charges in Alabama, too.

Hinton’s wife, Delenna Hathock, was also charged with helping him elude authorities.