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Police: Cuffed Inmate Jumps From Moving Vehicle, Escapes

Posted at 9:59 AM, Jan 02, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-02 10:45:27-05

HARRISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Law enforcement officials are warning the public to be on the lookout for a Lexington man who they say escaped police custody by jumping through the window of a moving vehicle.

Authorities say 28-year-old Eric Ray Sampson was being transported New Year’s Eve from the Cynthiana police station to the Bourbon County Jail when he escaped along U.S. Highway 27 South in Bourbon County.

A Harrison County Jailer official says that Sampson complained he was feeling ill while being transported, and the officer opened the back window slightly to give him some fresh air. Sampson later told the officer he thought he was going to vomit, so the officer lowered the window more.

The official said Sampson, who was handcuffed, then jumped through the window as the vehicle was still in motion and ran off.

Sampson was describes as a white man standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 160 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

He was charged with driving on a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police ask anyone with information about Sampson’s whereabouts to call authorities.