A Georgia prison experienced a lockdown lasting 12 hours after a convicted murderer seemingly went missing. The following morning, he was located—having accidentally been left in court.
Julian Brooks DeLoch, who was convicted of murder in 1984 and paroled in 2010, had been moved to the Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro for a recent misdemeanor trial.
During the lockdown, prison staff tirelessly searched for him, leading to a thorough investigation of the facility, according to Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen.
Ultimately, prison surveillance footage revealed that the 70-year-old inmate had spent those 12 hours alone in an unsupervised retention cell.
“There was some confusion about who was overseeing the inmates, and he ended up being left in the holding cells,” Allen explained.
The retention cell connects the prison to the court system, but officers mistakenly thought it was routine to check on the area since inmates aren’t supposed to stay there overnight.
According to Sheriff Allen, DeLoch had access to a bench and a toilet but was left alone after 6 PM.
Allen mentioned that the Correctional Sergeant in charge of the oversight would face demotion, and suggested suspension for the two deputies assigned to court duty.
“If there’s a call for a situation, no one actually monitors that specific cell,” he added.
DeLoch was found at 7 AM, 12 hours after being placed in the cell.
The responsible officer opted to forgo a hearing and accepted the sheriff’s suggested consequences.
