A murder convicted shockingly disappeared from Clayton County jail in Jonesboro, Georgia, forcing the authorities to place the jail under lockdown.
The jail staff was in a panic when they failed to locate Julian Brooks Deloach, Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen said, per The Independent.
Authorities looked for Deloach and found the following morning that he was unintentionally put in the courthouse holding cell, Mr Allen said. He was missing for almost 12 hours after a "mix-up" among staff members about who would transport the man back to the prison. This left him in the courthouse holding cell longer than expected.
Although the holding cell is in a secure location and the courthouse is connected to the jail, they are not designed to retain inmates overnight.
The holding cells only contain benches, sinks, and toilets, and no mattresses. Moreover, they are left unattended after court hours, which is approximately 6 pm, The Independent reported.
The guards apparently did not check the holding cell because prisoners were not intended to be placed there overnight. They looked for him in "every cell, every area of the jail."
"In the end, we reviewed the cameras and were taken back into the courtroom where he was," Sheriff Allen told the outlet.
Deloach reportedly spent 12 to 13 hours in the holding cell before being discovered the next morning, according to the sheriff.
Following the commotion, Mr Allen recommended that two deputies assigned to the court division be suspended, and two correctional sergeants be demoted.
Julian Brooks Deloach was found guilty of murder in 1984.
