MACON, Ga. — Bibb County Sheriff David Davis says he fired a deputy this week for making an error he says led to four inmates escaping from the county jail.
Davis says Deputy Travaris Freeman didn't do a thorough block check after he heard noises and was told to check them out.
"It was not something I wanted to hear about," Maj. Chris Patterson said about starting his administration over the jail the day of the escape.
It happened just hours before Patterson was set to take over.
"We're still looking at those factors that contributed to the escape," Davis said.
Seven deputies were on shift when four inmates broke out that night. Freeman was the only deputy in the jail's west wing, overseeing the A and B cell blocks.
"He did not do a thorough block check and did not go through and do as he said he did," Davis said.
Davis says an internal affairs report shows Freeman heard what sounded like chiseling. He reported it to his supervisor, but Davis says he never went to check it out.
13WMAZ asked if Freeman made any block checks that night.
"That's right," Davis clarified. "Not during, particularly not during the time in question whenever there was any type of indication of noise."
Davis says Freeman could have called for backup from other jailers or patrol deputies if he didn't feel safe.
"All of that could have happened if you just went down there and looked," he said.
The staffing log from the shift spanning from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Oct. 15 and Oct. 16 shows other deputies patrolling cell blocks were also alone.
According to reports from each night shift between Sept. 20 and Oct. 16, that was the case at least five other times. That includes Oct. 1, which was another shift with only seven jailers.
"On those other nights, there were cell doors that were still not locked. There were cameras that still weren't working. They were still short. So, it was just all of those factors, but then that extra one factor," Davis said.
The sheriff says they're still investigating and haven't completed the internal investigation yet, but he says they had enough to fire Freeman.
Maj. Patterson says hiring more jailers is one of his top priorities. He wants to get back to optimal staffing levels, around 30 each shift.
He says he and Capt. Brannon Grace are working to make sure other jail safety initiatives get off the ground. Patterson says there's now a lieutenant on each shift to provide proper leadership.
They're also working on entertainment options for inmates to keep them in line. So far, he said, it's been successful.
"If they have games or playing cards or things like that, it's less time that they have to think of mischief," Patterson said.
Patterson says it's also helped cut back on fights in the jail.