MDOC inmate in Rankin County who escaped found, faces additional charges

RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) - The Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate who escaped in Rankin County Thursday evening is back in custody within hours after he was discovered missing.

According to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, a perimeter was set up around the area and MDOC investigators and MDOC staff began a head count at the prison and verified an inmate had escaped.

State police and approximately 40 Rankin County deputies assisted Mississippi Department of Corrections officers.

Even Rankin County K-9 units were involved, as the units tracked the escapee where it was believed he had left the facility. However, a “torrential rain set in not long after they began to track and was so intense that the dogs could not continue.”

Rankin County police reported that shortly after the rain stopped, a car pulled up to a Rankin County Deputy stationed on Greenfield Road. The female in the car told the deputy that she, along with her sister and mother, had been held at gunpoint at her mother’s residence by the escapee.

The victim then stated that the 20-year-old escapee, Shunekndrick Huffman, stole a white Honda Passenger from the family.

The deputy located the vehicle on Greenfield Road near the Whitfield Campus and attempted to stop it. The vehicle struck an MDOC van and then drove into a ditch full of water.

Huffman then reportedly exited the vehicle and ran towards the Whitfield Campus, climbed the security fence, and ran towards some residences on campus.

“The well over 100 law enforcement officers involved in the manhunt converged on the area. A tight perimeter was set up around the residences and a house-to-house search was started. A short time into the search, officers located Huffman hiding in a large garbage can outside a residence. Huffman was immediately taken into custody,” The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office stated.

MDOC stated Huffman was captured in a dumpster at the Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield, which is “about two miles from the prison.”

MDOC inmate in Rankin County who escaped found(Sheriff Bryan Bailey)

MDOC Officers then took custody of Huffman and transported him back to Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. Rankin County Deputies responded to the residence where Huffman had committed the home invasion and began to process the crime scene.

Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett will bring Shunekndrick Huffman before Rankin County Court Judge David Morrow.

Huffman was charged with multiple charges, including 3 counts of kidnapping, home invasion, auto theft, and possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a firearm by a Convicted Felon.

He had previously been serving a 7-year sentence for aggravated assault in Leake County.

“We are very sorry because the local community is a valuable resource for us,” MDOC Commissioner Burl Cain said. “We are immediately correcting the situation with the siren and actively investigating the events surrounding the escape. I want to thank everyone for helping us get this escapee back in custody so quickly.”

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