Police on Saturday captured an inmate who freed himself from handcuffs and escaped out of a transport van three days earlier, according to a news release from the Fayette County Sheriffs Office.
Huntington police took Paul Ira Hopkins, 37, into custody "without incident" at about 3:45 p.m. Someone had spotted him at a gas station and called the police.
Hopkins was able to escape while the transport vehicle slowed down at a toll plaza in North Beckley to enter Interstate 64/I-77. He was able to reach out the window near his seat, open the door and jump out. Police said he hopped over the guard rail and ran away.
Fayette County Sheriff Steve Kessler said Hopkins would be taken back to the Southern Regional jail to start his sentence. He also faces charges in Raleigh County, for allegedly fleeing from police and theft of a "Toyota sports car."
Police dogs previously had tracked Hopkins to a nearby garage, where he allegedly stole a black Toyota Scion tC.