DES MOINES – An Iowa prison inmate who escaped the Fort Madison maximum security prison used a variety of creative measures to reach Illinois before he was caught and returned to captivity.
Offender Justin Kestner was housed in the John Bennett Unit A-Pod. The John Bennett Unit A-Pod is a secured housing unit which houses maximum security inmates for restrictive housing purposes. Kestner was discovered missing by staff conducting the security rounds during the 4:45 A.M. count. Immediately, the Warden and Deputy Warden were notified and the entire institution was placed under restricted movement and an emergency count was conducted.
Kestner had removed the screws from an access cover to a pipe chase in the cell shower and subsequently maneuvered up the chase and through a vent to the roof. Kestner used the rope constructed from torn bed sheets and the drain pipe to make his way to the ground from the roof of the Unit to an unfenced area.
City, County and State Police as well as the Division of Criminal Investigation were notified. Representatives from these agencies reported to the institution where an Incident Command Center was formed to direct the search for Kestner.
At approximately 8:45 A.M. a report of a stolen vehicle was received from the Wever, Iowa area.
At approximately 9:55 A.M. Kestner was apprehended by an Illinois State Trooper walking along Illinois Route 82 a half a mile south of I-80. Kestner was returned to the Iowa State Penitentiary at 5:30 P.M. and has been placed in Administrative Segregation.
BACK IN PRISON
This guy was a violent, bad dude. I am glad the caught him before he hurt anyone else.