MONTICELLO, Ky. (LEX 18) — Police are asking for the public's help to locate a man that authorities say recently escaped from the Wayne County Detention Center.
Wayne County Sheriff Tim Catron says on Sunday night just before 8:30 p.m., dispatch received a call that a prisoner from Clinton County was missing from the Monticello jail.
Authorities are looking for Joseph Payton, of Albany. When police got to the facility, workers could not tell them how long he had been missing.
Inmate logs showed he was in the facility earlier in the day when medication was given out, but video footage showed he had not been in his bunk area since Friday. While questioning other inmates, one said Payton walked out of the recreation area at around 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Payton's last known address was 117 East Harper Road in Albany, Ky. Deputies plan to take out an arrest warrant for the escape on Monday.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office says on Friday, a pickup truck was stolen about a mile away from the Wayne County Detention Center. The truck is a white 2001 Dodge Ram with a broken windshield. Authorities believe Payton may have stolen the truck.
Kentucky State Police, along with Clinton County authorities, have been notified. He is entered as an escapee in a national database.
If you have any information, call the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Monticello Police Department, or any law enforcement agency.
