KITTANNING, Pennsylvania (AP) — An inmate has been captured after police say he walked away from a work-release program in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania while serving jail time for a probation violation and killed an acquaintance who lived nearby.
Pennsylvania State Police tweeted news of Robert Crissman's apprehension Friday, about 26 hours after he fled the jail while delivering meals to other inmates. They did not immediately provide details of his capture.
The body of Tammy Long, 55, was discovered Thursday at a home about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away from the jail in Kittanning, which is 40 miles (65 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh. Police did not say how she was killed. An autopsy was scheduled for Friday.
Long and her boyfriend, Jerry Slagle, knew Crissman but were unaware he'd just escaped from jail when they let him inside, officials and a neighbor said.
"They only knew him as a friend," District Attorney Scott Andreassi said. "They didn't even know he was in jail."
Slagle found Long dead and his truck missing when he got home at about 2:45 p.m., Andreassi said. Officials believe Long was killed after Slagle left for work around 7:30 a.m.
Crissman had been in jail since July 24 for violating probation on a drug charge. There were no violent crimes on his record and he was trusted by staff, officials said.
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