Mississippi sex offender got free ride from jail to 'party'

Jerry Mitchell | The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger

JACKSON, Miss. — A sex offender got a free ride from jail to his Mississippi Delta home for a 30-minute "anniversary party." The deputy waited in the living room.

Two weeks later, on April 24, a deputy gave 33-year-old inmate Jason Rush another free ride to his home in Vance, this time for his "birthday party."

Tipped off about the visit, investigators for the Corrections Investigation Division caught Rush — convicted of one count of fondling a child under age 16 and two counts of aggravated assault — at his home.

But when investigators asked deputies at the Quitman County jail where Rush was, they were told he was out with a deputy changing a tire. A deputy then telephoned Rush on his cellphone, which rang while investigators were questioning him.

Cellphones are considered contraband and can result in an inmate spending up to five extra years behind bars.

Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher shared the details of these incidents in describing what he called the problem of sheriffs giving unauthorized passes to state inmates.

"This is a public safety issue," Fisher said. "It's disappointing that the staff told investigators the guy was changing a tire when he was at a 'party.' That's wrong."

Quitman County Sheriff Oliver Parker would not comment Friday on the matter, which corrections officials say remains under investigation.

It's not the first time that a sheriff has given an unauthorized pass to a state inmate.

In October 2013, the Alcorn County Sheriff's Office gave a pass to William Whitaker, an inmate at the County Regional Correctional Facility who had been convicted of robbery, burglary and aggravated assault.

Although passes cannot be given to any inmate convicted of a crime of violence, Whitaker died of a drug overdose on Oct. 26, 2013, at his home.

In a Nov. 7, 2013, letter, then-Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps criticized Sheriff Charles Rinehart for releasing Whitaker and five other inmates on passes.

"The Alcorn County Regional Facility Management has indicated that although they were aware that these passes were not in accordance with MDOC procedures, they were directed to do so by you in your capacity as sheriff of Alcorn County," Epps wrote. "Your actions blatantly circumvent MDOC Policy and Procedure. The actions exhibited by you and your staff have jeopardized public safety for the citizens of Alcorn County as well as the state of Mississippi."

Three other inmates released from the jail had been convicted of armed robbery. Another inmate had been convicted of manslaughter. A final inmate had been convicted of selling drugs.

Less than two months later, Epps agreed to let inmates return there because he said Alcorn County "contracted with an experienced prison management company," Mississippi Correctional Management, headed by former state lawmaker Irb Benjamin.

The Clarion-Ledger requested Department of Corrections records, which detailed other cases:

• In 2006, a Calhoun County inmate, who was the jail administrator's brother, returned from his pass drunk and fled in a stolen patrol car, wrecked the car, stole a truck and wrecked it, too, before being captured.

• In 2008, an inmate in Alcorn County escaped in a deputy's private vehicle, which the deputy had left for inmates to repair. The investigation concluded it was the third such vehicle that inmates repaired. "There were also admissions by other inmates indicating they consumed alcohol and narcotics during their work day."

• In 2008, investigators confirmed the misuse of inmate labor and an inmate being allowed out of jail in Tippah County.

• In 2010, investigators found that a work crew supervisor provided narcotics to inmates he supervised. He was fired after testing positive for THC.

• In 2010, an inmate was discovered to be living with the Webster County sheriff and using the sheriff's cellphone. According to records, the sheriff believed "the inmate's life was in danger and felt only he could protect him."