Second Inmate Escapes from The Med

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A violent inmate is on the run and two sheriff's deputies will be relieved of duty.

23-year-old Mario Jackson got out of his shackles and escaped from the Med Wednesday night after he said he had to go to the restroom. For the Sheriff's Office, several things about this escape are not adding up.

"Anytime something like this comes up there's red flags that start flying," said Shelby County Sheriff's Office Spokesman Steve Shular.

Jackson was in the Med's emergency room Wednesday and ran out the emergency exit around 11:00 pm. The deputies in charge of Jackson said he was shackled going into the Med bathroom, but unsecured coming out.

"It's like someone suddenly getting out of their handcuffs," said Shular. "Unless you're Houdini, that's very rare."

Jackson was able to run past the two deputies to escape. The deputies were not injured. They are being questioned then put on paid leave pending the investigation.

This was the second inmate to escape from the Med Wednesday. 23-year-old Keshun Douglas ran out of a van pulling up to the Med. Convicted of property theft, he is still on the run. Douglas was a ward of the Corrections Facility Office, not the Sheriff's Office.

But the Sheriff's Office had another inmate escape in April. Dearick Stokes, a convicted murder, was able to simply walk out the front door after a computer glitch showed his case has been disposed. Several Shelby County employees were put on probation for Stoke's accidental release.

"We dealt with a combination between human error and computer error," said Shular. "But always in the end, there needs to be a check in the human side of it all."

Stokes who was on the run twice, was found once at a South Memphis hotel, and once hiding in a friend's house near the airport.

Jackson's last known address is a South Memphis home, which is now abandoned. He listed it as his address in a 2008 arrest. Since 2008 Jackson's only known address has been the Shelby County jail. Investigators say they'll rely heavily on Crime Stoppers to find him.

The sheriff's office said finding out how this happened and finding Jackson's location, are top priorities.

"If you look at Jackson's rap sheet, he was in for some violent crimes, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, and the list goes on and on," said Shular. "So yes, there's a sense of urgency to get him back into custody."

Jackson was seen running from the Med wearing hospital scrubs that are red on top, gray on the bottom.

If you have any information on his whereabouts you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 528-CASH.