Sheriff: Man wanted in baby’s death briefly escaped jail

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LARGO, Fla. — A man accused of killing his infant son in Ohio escaped from a Florida jail but was captured within minutes, authorities said.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a news conference Thursday that the escape a day earlier by Cody Jondreau was “absolutely concerning.”

Jondreau, 25, was free for about 10 minutes before being caught, the sheriff said.

Jondreau was with other inmates in the recreation area of the Clearwater jail on Wednesday when the guard went inside the guard tower to call other guards to let them know they were ready to head back inside, Gualtieri said.

At that time, Jondreau scaled a fence and ran across a roof. He then jumped about 11 feet (3 meters) to the ground, the sheriff said. The inmate then scaled another fence and jumped a second time and took off running, according to Gualtieri.

The sheriff said deputies chased the man to a nearby business where they fired a stun gun at the escapee and took him into custody. He was returned to the jail.

Jondreau suffered a broken heel bone and had multiple cuts from razor wire, the sheriff said. His cuts required about 80 sutures.

Jondreau is charged in Williams County, Ohio, with killing his 9-week-old son, the sheriff said. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested him on an out-of-state warrant on May 11, and he was transferred to Pinellas County on May 28 to await extradition to Ohio.

Gualtieri said Jondreau will be transferred to Ohio once he’s medically cleared. He said authorities will ask the state attorney’s office to charge the man with with escape once he leaves the Pinellas County Jail.

The sheriff said jail officials will review safety protocols.

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