Escaped Missouri State prison inmate in custody

OZARK, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jason Laird, who escaped custody on Tuesday after working at the Missouri State Fairgrounds, is now back in law enforcement custody.

Laird was taken into custody by the Ozark County/Douglas County Multi-jurisdictional Task Force Team just after 5 p.m. on Saturday, after law enforcement received information, he was in the area.

While searching for Laird, the Multi-jurisdictional Task Force saw a person who had local warrants and made contact with the person in a house. The Task Force then arrested this person on the warrants.

While at the house, Sheriff Degace saw Laird and went into the residence. After searching, law enforcement realized Laird had escaped. But a little while later, law enforcement received a tip of a sighting of Laird trying to flag a ride near a highway.

Deputies then located him and took him into custody without incident.

According to a Facebook post, Laird was believed to have stolen a state owned vehicle late Tuesday night, before the vehicle was later recovered in Ozark County.

Sheriff's thanked The Ozark County/Douglas County Multi-juristictional Task Force Team in a Facebook post for their around the clock work in finding the escaped inmate.