Inmates walked out of the Pierre Community Work Center at 8:43 p.m. on Monday night, officials said.
What We Know:
- Three of the nine inmates were captured while the others remain missing as of Tuesday night, the South Dakota Department of Corrections stated.
- Officials originally said there were eight escapees, but Gov. Kristi Noem confirmed during a news conference that there was nine when she was questioned.
- The identities of eight of the inmates were revealed by the department. They include Philomene Boneshirt, 25; Jordan Wakeman, 27; Sylvia Red Leaf, 25; Alice Richards, 32; Kayla Lamont, 28; Carly Schoneman, 23; Pamela Miller, 28, and Kelsey Flute, 30.
- On March 12, the Department of Corrections suspended all in-person visitations to prison facilities throughout the state in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said that at least one of the captured inmates has been tested for COVID-19 but the results are not known at this time.
