Law catches up with #8216;Ketchup#039;
Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 16, 2006
An inmate
was thought to have escaped into the heavily wooded area surrounding the Butler County Jail on Tuesday, but law enforcement eventually discovered the suspect in a pipe on jail grounds.
Officers discovered Ketric Lee Boggan, 22, hiding inside a pipe on jail property at approximately 6:30 p.m.
“He never did get outside the fence,” said Butler County Sheriff Diane Harris.
At 3:30 p.m. an inmate told coorections officers that Boggan had braved razor and barbed wire to leap over the jail’s retaining fence and race into the woods outside the jail.
Greenville police officers and sheriff’s deputies set up a perimeter around the jail, placing units at Thames St., Beeland St. and Conecuh St. in order to watch for Boggan.
By 5:30 p.m., search dogs transported to the county from Atmore had arrived and was preparing to enter the woods. Deputies were alerted to Boggan's presence inside the jail soon after.
Boggan, who goes by the alias “Ketchup”, was arrested by the Greenville Police Department in connection with an armed robbery that took place in late November at the Corner Stop Grocery.
Boggan was charged with Robbery, 1st degree. A juvenile was also arrested in connection with the robbery.
Harris said the disappearance of Boggan was the result of neglect on the part of a corrections officer.
She said she would make a decision next week on disciplinary action.
“The jailer took the word of the inmates that he (Boggan) had crossed the fence,” said Harris.
Harris said it will be up to the District Attorney's office to charge Boggan with an attempt to escape.
Unrelated, but on Friday Harris fired Joseph Milton Boutwell, 60, a jailer she said had been employed as a corrections officer with the county since 1998.
In an investigation conducted by the Georgiana Police Department, Boutwell was arrested on Thursday and charged with theft of property, 1st degree, and six counts of possession of a forged instrument.
He was released Friday on $9500 bond, said Harris.