OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla.,None — A violent inmate from the Osceola County jail ( see map ) remained on the loose Friday evening. Michael Jamal Rigby, 21, escaped Friday morning by scaling a fence. He was in jail on an attempted murder charge.
The jail's deputy chief called a last minute news conference late Friday afternoon. All he said, though, was that the investigation is ongoing. It put the entire area around the jail on alert and there's still no sign of Rigby.
In the minutes after authorities learned a dangerous inmate escaped from the Osceola County jail, deputies swarmed the area searching the woods and the roads for Rigby.
AT THE SCENE: Deputies Search For Escaped Inmate
"Based on his criminal history and what he did this morning, we do believe him to be dangerous," said Twis Lizasuain, Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office got the call from the jail just after 6:30am. Somehow Rigby, a maximum-security inmate with gang ties and an attempted murder trial less than a month away, broke out of the jail. Investigators say he removed his jail clothes and escaped over a section of fence, possibly using something to cover the razor wire.
"Inmates are checked… to be specific, I'm not going to answer any specific questions," said Raul Banasco, the jail's deputy chief.
Banasco wouldn't answer any questions, but several sources told Eyewitness News jail staff had not checked on Rigby for as many as 12 hours before they discovered he was gone.
Rigby's lawyer says he only learned his client had broken out of jail when he got a call from Rigby's mother.
"Police were at her house looking for him and she was wondering why they'd be looking for him if he was supposed to be in jail," attorney Don Waggoner said.
Rigby's facing the attempted murder charge for a shooting involving a fight between two girlfriends. Authorities activated a reverse callback system to 27,000 homes and businesses in the area, but the sheriff's office now thinks he could be out of the immediate area.
Rigby is 5-foot-11 and weighs 170 pounds. Deputies don't know what clothes he may be wearing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Osceola County Sheriff's Office at (407) 348-2222 or Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS (8477). Calls made to Crimeline remain anonymous and tips that lead to the felony arrest of suspects and/or the recovery of stolen property and drugs are eligible for cash rewards of up to $1,000 dollars.
Eyewitness News has reported a number of problems at the Osceola County jail during the past 14 months. Several inmates jailed for minor violations claimed they never received life-saving medication during their stay.
Another inmate accused of brutally attacking a woman was mistakenly released. Yet another inmate was caught having sex while on supervised work-release at Animal Control.
Finally, two corrections officers were arrested, one for delivering illegal drugs to inmates and the other for helping an inmate attempt a dangerous escape.
WFTV
