TIPTONVILLE, Tenn. — A state prison inmate serving a life sentence for murder escaped Sunday night from the Northwest Correctional Complex, state prison officials said. Staff at the Lake County prison found 28-year-old Jacob Allen Morley missing around 11:30 p.m. Officers immediately began an emergency count and searched the prison.
Security cameras showed Morley breached a perimeter fence and left in his prison uniform, correction officials said. Surveillance stills show him with a beard, glasses, a gray knit cap and a light-blue inmate shirt.
Morley is serving a life sentence for Carter County convictions, prison officials said. Those convictions include first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall and about 240 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.
State prison staff are working with local, state and federal law officers to find Morley. "Do not approach him," prison officials warned in an alert. Anyone who sees him should call 911 or contact tip lines at 1-844-TDC-FIND (1-844-832-3463) or 1-800-TBI-FIND.