Mississippi escaped inmate in custody after manhunt, some prison employees facing disciplinary action

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A Mississippi convicted killer who escaped prison for the second time in nearly four years over the weekend has been re-captured, with a dozen prison employees now facing disciplinary action, according to authorities. 

Michael Floyd Wilson, also known as, "Pretty Boy Floyd," 51, was taken into custody in Harrison County just before 1 p.m. Tuesday by deputies with the Harrison County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said a woman tipped them off to Wilson's whereabouts after he carjacked her vehicle. Deputies chased after the vehicle which eventually ran out of gas and Wilson was arrested without incident, Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain said during a news briefing on Tuesday.

MISSISSIPPI CONVICTED KILLER ESCAPES PRISON SECOND TIME, MANHUNT UNDERWAY, AUTHORITIES SAY

Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain speaks during a press conference Tuesday involving the escape and capture of Michael Floyd Wilson. (Mississippi Department of Corrections)

Wilson escaped Saturday from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl, Mississippi, about 11 miles southeast of Jackson, Cain said. Officials originally believed Wilson escaped on Sunday. 

Wilson was injured after he scaled a 12-foot fence and two feet of razor wire before escaping the prison grounds, corrections spokesman Leo Honeycutt said Monday, according to the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger. Wilson was wearing gloves that were found stuck in the wire, officials said. 

During the search for Wilson, he used fake aliases and was apparently able to get treated at a hospital for his injuries — twice, the paper reported. He was treated and released on both occasions.

After the escape, Cain said a dozen MDOC employees are on administrative leave pending disciplinary action, including management. He noted the biggest mistake was having Wilson taken out of maximum security.  

"That alarms us," Cain said. "The person or persons involved with that change made a terrible mistake."

Michael Floyd Wilson, also known as, "Pretty Boy Floyd," 51, escaped from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl, Mississippi over the weekend. (Mississippi Department of Corrections)

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Wilson was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted for beating two men to death in Biloxi and Gulfport in 2014. He was also serving sentences for burglary and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Clarion-Ledger.

Wilson previously escaped the South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Leakesville in July 2018 and was recaptured more than two days later in Ocean Springs, about 70 miles away.

An investigation is ongoing to determine what happened, or if the escape was an inside job, Cain added. 

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"Well take him to reside in Walnut Grove so he'll have a hard time getting away from there," he added, citing the higher security facility. "It won't happen again."