Jatonia Bryant Jr. was rearrested more than a week after escaping jail, authorities said. (Image: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities in Jefferson County, Arkansas, announced Monday that they rearrested the remaining fugitive who fled a local jail, but while this wraps up the escape story of Jatonia Bryant Jr., 23, and Noah David Roush, 22, it also touches on how the men got a “36-hour head start” on law enforcement. The sheriff’s office said that jail officials failed to carry out an accurate head count.
Regarding Bryant’s rearrest, authorities were doing surveillance Monday morning on the east side of Pine Bluff when Capt. Yohance Brunson spotted the fugitive and recognized him by his clothes.
“Bryant continued to walk closer to Captain Brunson’s vehicle and Captain Brunson was able to call in additional personnel to take Bryant into custody without incident,” they wrote. “Bryant was transported to the Dub Brassell Adult Detention Center.”
Authorities said they will continue the investigation — they want to charge people who allegedly helped both men evade arrest.
As previously reported, capital murder defendant Bryant and burglary defendant Roush — the latter of whom is also suspected in a homicide — allegedly escaped from the Dub Brassell Adult Detention Center on the night of Jan. 20 by going through a hole in a shower, reaching the roof, and climbing down. Court documents said that jail officials only realized they were gone the morning of Jan. 22.
In their statement, the sheriff’s office described long-running issues with the structure of the jail as well as staffing lower than previous administrations, which they attributed to budget issues.
“While escapes are infrequent, they do occur considering the will and means of any given detainee. That does not excuse the actions of our jailers,” they wrote. “This failure on the part of our jailers, to not follow policies and procedures, is not in keeping with the high standards set by the JCSO. This investigation continues as well, and each person will be dealt with accordingly.”
The sheriff’s office emphasized that they are working on improvements to make sure something like these escapes do not happen again.
“Under my administration we have made investments in and around both of our detention centers, all essential steps in fortifying our facility against future breaches,” Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods, Jr., said. “The recent escape of detainees Noah Roush and Jatonia Bryant serves as a catalyst for further capital improvements, prompting us to redouble our efforts to address critical, longstanding challenges inherited from previous administrations related to the design and structure of the jail itself.”
Noah David Roush was arrested on Jan. 25, 2024, after a person spotted him at an abandoned home, authorities said. (Mug shot: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
Bryant was originally locked up at the jail after turning himself in on Aug. 18, 2023, for an allegation that he and a 17-year-old boy drove up to the intersection of 8th Avenue and Myrtle Street on July 29, 2023, and fatally opened fire on Christopher Harris, 49. Both are charged with capital murder and counts of terroristic acts and aggravated assault.
As previously reported, the sheriff’s office said Brunson was the officer who spotted and helped catch Roush after authorities got a call Thursday afternoon about a person with Roush’s description inside an abandoned home in Pine Bluff.
Roush was originally charged as one of the two people who burglarized a local home. He is also suspected of a role in murdering Jesse Burk, 31, who was found dead wrapped in a tarp and shot in the chest around Nov. 1, 2022, in Pine Bluff. Records show no charges in that matter against Roush.
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