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Shackled inmate escapes courthouse, but not for long

Posted at 4:00 PM, Jan 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-12 16:01:48-05

HAMILTON , Ohio – Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says he likes snitches after an inmate – shackled, cuffed and wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit - escaped from the county courthouse this week.

“He made it about a block and a half before someone called and snitched on him. I like snitches,” Jones said in a statement Friday.

Hamilton police recaptured David Z. Combs within 10 minutes, Jones said. The Hamilton man, facing petty theft charges, walked out a side door of the courthouse Wednesday.

He was able to get away because the alarm on the door malfunctioned, Jones said.

“We get about one or two a year that flee or walk away but our track record on catching them is pretty impeccable,” Jones said. “Maybe if he had a better plan or more friends he could have gotten a bit further.”

Combs is in bigger trouble now after adding felony escape to his charges, Jones said.