WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio (AP) – A Fayette County sheriff’s deputy has resigned a day after an inmate escaped custody, stole a vehicle and died in a crash during a police chase.
Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth says the deputy who resigned Tuesday had lost a key during a jail scuffle Monday. WBNS-TV reports an inmate later used that key to free himself from restraints.
Authorities say 27-year-old David Payne of Lynchburg escaped while being taken to a hospital and stole a vehicle. He led officers on a chase at speeds topping 100 mph before a deputy used “stop sticks” to flatten the vehicle’s tires.
Authorities in Pickaway County say Payne was thrown from the car when it went off the side of a road and rolled several times.