A Florida man who brazenly escaped from a St. Petersburg correctional facility earlier this month is now back in custody after being apprehended on Monday morning, approximately 100 miles away in North Fort Myers, authorities revealed.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office disclosed that deputies responded to a tip-off about the whereabouts of the wanted escapee, Jamie Jenks, 33, at an apartment situated on the 1330 block of Lavin Lane in North Fort Myers around 11:30 a.m. Monday.
Reports indicate that Jenks absconded from the St. Petersburg Community Release Center without permission shortly after 2 a.m. on August 3. Despite a swift response from the St. Petersburg Police Department, including a search aided by K-9 units, the initial efforts to locate him were futile. Subsequently, a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) alert was issued.
At the time of his escape, Jenks was serving a two-year sentence stemming from multiple counts of petit theft, alongside previous convictions related to drug and weapon offenses, as well as grand theft.
When deputies arrived at the apartment this past Monday, Jenks had barricaded himself inside, prompting a response from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Operations unit and crisis negotiators. After nearly two tense hours, the standoff concluded as Jenks surrendered without incident.
“I am beyond grateful for the swift actions of my deputies and their dedication to ensuring a peaceful resolution,” proclaimed Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “This fugitive made a grave error by choosing our county to hide in — justice inevitably caught up with him today.”
As the investigation into the circumstances of Jenks’s escape unfolds, authorities are on high alert for any additional information that could lead to further insights into such incidents, especially given the surge of recent fugitive cases reported in the region.
Additionally, it is worth noting that other fugitives have made headlines this month, including D’Architray L. Sapp, who was apprehended after a two
