Escapees caught at Laws Hill

Two state inmates who escaped from a regional jail in Macon Sunday were located and arrested in the Laws Hill area Monday afternoon, according to sheriff Kenny Dickerson.

Marshall County received tips from several sources that the escapees, who walked off from a work site, were in a wooded area behind a residence in the 3300 block of Laws Hill Road.

About six of Dickerson’s deputies and eight to 10 agents with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) found the two escapees in the woods, the sheriff said.

The escapees were taken into custody without resistance, he said.

MDOC requested assistance from the sheriff’s office after learning the inmates could be in the Laws Hill area.

Christopher Daniel Parmenter, 23, originally of the Matthews Corner area of Marshall County, and Andrew Carter, 43, originally of Union County, both serving sentences on burglary charges, were taken into custody and transported to the Marshall County jail for processing and later transported to Rankin County for processing, Dickerson said.

Parmenter had 50 days left on his sentence and Carter had several years to complete his sentence, according to statements provided to the sheriff.

The two stole an SUV at a cotton gin after walking off the work detail, he said, and headed back toward their home counties in the SUV. It was recovered by Dickerson and taken to the sheriff’s office to be returned to the owner.

Both men will be charged with felony escape and with grand larceny in connection with the vehicle they stole, Dickerson said.

The sheriff said the two state inmates were working on the grounds of the regional state facility.

When the two arrived at the county jail for processing, Sheriff Dickerson greeted Parmen­ter, saying “Welcome home.”