Boone County Jail pulls inmates out of Reality House after escapes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Boone County Sheriff's Department removed 20 prisoners from a halfway house and private jail on Thursday after three inmates escaped.
The department said in a news release Monday that three Boone County Jail inmates being housed there escaped -- one on Saturday and two more on Monday. All three remained at large Monday afternoon.
"The Boone County Jail has successfully utilized the Reality House for several years to house the overflow of many detainees out of convenience of location; however, we are extremely displeased with the circumstances involving the recent escape of three detainees housed at their facility and we will no longer be housing detainees at the Reality House," the sheriff's department said in the release.
The department says Lawrence M. Johnson, 35, escaped from the recreation yard Saturday. Johnson was being held on charges of burglary, domestic assault and resisting arrest.
Two other men -- Jamale E. Marteen, 37, and Tyron D. McClain Jr., 28, escaped from the recreation yard Monday afternoon, prompting another search, the department said.
Marteen was jailed on a warrant for failure to obey a judge's orders and McClain was jailed on charges including misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession and resisting arrest, along with warrants for disobeying a judge's order and failure to appear.
Reality House, 1900 E. Prathersville Road, is located near the jail.
The more than 20 remaining inmates at Reality House were removed Monday afternoon, the sheriff's department said.
Reality House is a not-for-profit organization. In addition to housing inmates, the organization helps inmates leaving prison or jail with employment, substance abuse treatment and other services.
