Ark. inmate says he escaped jail to see grandma

TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) - A man who escaped the Miller County jail and was arrested nearly two weeks later in Fayetteville said he broke out to go visit his grandmother. The Texarkana Gazette reported today that Bennie Johnson said he escaped because his grandmother, who raised him, was recovering from a heart attack in Fort Smith. He said he visited her daily in the hospital while on the lam. Johnson was one of six inmates who broke out of the county jail on July 8th. He was the last to be apprehended by police, and now faces felony escape charges. Yesterday, Johnson pleaded guilty to the charge that originally landed him in jail. Circuit Court Judge Jim Hudson sentenced him to six years in prison for battery in connection with a January stabbing. Operations and officials at the Miller County jail have been harshly criticized... [read full story]