Staff Reports
JACKSON COUNTY — A Jackson County Jail inmate who escaped from the jail was recaptured Saturday night.
Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer said deputies and the FBI were returning Daniel A. Coomer, 39, Clarksville, to Jackson County on Saturday night.
Deputies, assisted by the Indiana State Police and area law enforcement officers, had been looking for Coomer, 39, Clarksville, since 8:38 p.m. Friday when he is accused of escaping from the jail.
Meyer did not release further details of how Coomer was found, saying on social media further information would be released later.
Prior to the escape, a jail officer had taken Coomer and other inmates from the holding cell area to the outdoor recreation area just before 8:30 p.m. The outdoor recreation area is still within the walls of the jail with a fence over top for a roof.
While in the outdoor recreation area, Coomer found the door that leads to the outside to be unlocked, deputies said. At this time it is unknown why the door was unlocked but that is being investigated by the sheriff, detectives and the jail commander.
The escape was discovered by the jail staff around 9:10 p.m. when the inmates were moved back to the holding cell area from the recreation. The jail video surveillance shows Coomer leaving the facility at 8:38 pm.
Around 11 p.m. Friday, the sheriff’s department received a call from an individual who just arrived home and discovered his residence had been broken into. The address of the home was in the 1100 block of South County Road 50W (just north of Brownstown Skyline Drive entrance).
Deputies said it is possible Coomer broke in and stole clothing from this residence to change from his jail jumpsuit. K-9 units from Seymour Police, Columbus Police, Jennings County Sheriff’s Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Department responded to assist in the search.
Brownstown Police, Indiana State Police and Medora Police also responded to help set up a perimeter and a K-9 track. The K-9s tracked for more than three hours with several officers from the sheriff’s department and other agencies patrolling nearby areas. The K-9 tracking officers continued to search for Coomer through Friday night on foot and in patrol vehicles.
At 7:50 a.m. Saturday, the sheriff’s department received a stolen vehicle report from the 3400 block of South County Road 300E (Wegan area just east of State Road 39). Officers responded to the stolen vehicle report and located a utility side-by-side vehicle in the roadway about 100 yards north of the residence.
It is suspected that Coomer could be in possession of a stolen vehicle which is a red 1993 Chevrolet C15 pickup truck, deputies said. The truck is a single cab and has an Indiana license plate number of SXQ132.
Coomer was being held at the Jackson County Jail on preliminary charges of impersonation of a public servant, possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia, auto theft, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, operating a vehicle while intoxicated — endangerment and a warrant from Floyd Circuit Court.
