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1:48 p.m. • 2-12-12

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Officer Fired After Chatham Jailbreak


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Stewart Wendell Baldwin
WRAL News

A detention officer has been fired for violating procedures and allowing five inmates to escape the Chatham County Detention Center two weeks ago, authorities said Thursday.

Five inmates broke out of the jail on Feb. 4 after overpowering a detention officer. The men grabbed the officer's keys and radio, changed clothes, left through a side door and used a coat to scale a fence topped with razor wire, authorities said.

Four of the men were recaptured within hours. Stewart Wendell Baldwin, 30, of 130 Mann's Chapel Road in Pittsboro, remains at large.

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office conducted an internal review of the incident and determined that procedures in place to prevent such escapes weren't followed, and the senior detention officer on duty the night of the jailbreak has been fired, Sheriff Richard Webster said in a statement.

"Failure to follow these procedures and policy was the ultimate reason for this incident. Other issues that were indirectly related were shortages in staff, technology upgrades and the need for an up-to-date facility," Webster said. "Correcting any of these issues would dramatically supplement the security level of the facility. I will continue to address them as budgetary issues."

Baldwin was being held in the jail on felony drug charges and a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon. Authorities said they don't think Baldwin is a danger to the public unless he is approached.

Anyone with information about Baldwin's whereabouts is asked to call the Chatham County Sheriff's Office at 919-542-2811.

RELATED TOPICS: Chatham County, Wendell

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19 Comments


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Sheriff Webster needs to enforce Constitutional law and those laws the people of Chatham county deem important, not those of the Federal or State necessarily, as he works for the people of the county. I'm sure he could get by with less by doing so. tbajr

Your kidding right??? Ok Sheriff.. Lets enforce this law but not this one! DONT THINK SO!!

Seems kind of odd this leo gets fired for ""Failure to follow these procedures and policy..." by Sheriff Webster, yet Franklinton Police Chief Ray Gilliam said Officer Michael Dunlap clearly violated department policy, but no disciplinary action has been taken against the officer, pending the results of an internal investigation of the incident. A jail break where no one is killed must be a lot worse than mowing down innocent children during a high speed pursuit. OldRebel

You people amaze me with such idiocy! You actually have no clue whether Chief Gilliam instituted any disciplinary action against him or not since the fact that Personnel matters are not public record. Mowing down innocent children during a high speed pursuit?? The best i remember Officer Dunlap mowed no one down, the criminal driving the car being chased hit them!!

"Can WRAL put a picture up of the "at large" escaped convict please? Duh!!!!!" This woulld seem to be the way to let the general public be better able to see and report this escapee.

Sheriff Webster needs to enforce Constitutional law and those laws the people of Chatham county deem important, not those of the Federal or State necessarily, as he works for the people of the county. I'm sure he could get by with less by doing so.

LOL!!!!!

OOOFFF...I guess someone does actually read our post!!!!

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