ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A detainee who escaped from the Buncombe County Detention Facility on Wednesday morning was back in custody less than an hour later, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said Jennifer Richards escaped the facility around 9:20 a.m. and was located about 50 minutes later near South French Broad Avenue. Richards, who was booked into the jail on Nov. 23 on charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and resisting a public officer, is now facing an additional charge of escape.
The circumstances of the escape are under internal investigation, and officials said more information will be released once the related criminal case is resolved.
“The security of the Buncombe County Detention Facility and the safety of our detainees are a priority for our agency,” BCSO District 1 Capt. Dustan Auldredge said in a statement. “We are working to determine how this happened and to ensure that it does not happen again.”
The escape comes almost two months after a detainee was mistakenly released from the same facility.