Authorities arrest 2 inmates who escaped from Lincoln County Jail

Colleen Guerry
·2 min read

LINCOLN COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — After turning to the Middle Tennessee community for help tracking down two escapees from a Lincoln County correctional facility, law enforcement took the inmates back into custody Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday, April 6, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department announced 29-year-old Christopher Matthew Meeks and 52-year-old Walter James Allen Sr. — both of whom were being held on drug-related charges — walked off from the Lincoln County Jail.

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Authorities said Meeks is 5-feet 3-inches tall and 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Meanwhile, Allen was described as 5-feet 11-inches tall and 210 pounds with gray hair and blue eyes.

At 1:53 p.m. on Sunday, April 7, the sheriff’s department posted on social media that it hadn’t received any sightings, tips, or reports about anything out of the ordinary. Officials believed the inmates were trying to make it back to their home counties since Meeks is from Decherd and Allen is from Gurley, Alabama.

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Then, at 2:38 p.m., authorities announced both escapees were back in custody.

  • Christopher Meeks (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
    Christopher Meeks (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
  • Christopher Meeks (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
    Christopher Meeks (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
  • Christopher Meeks (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
    Christopher Meeks (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
  • Walter Allen Sr. (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
    Walter Allen Sr. (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
  • Walter Allen Sr. (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)
    Walter Allen Sr. (Courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department)

About 30 minutes later, Lincoln County Sheriff Joyce McConnell thanked her personnel for the long hours they put into capturing the inmates. She also expressed her appreciation for their assistance of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the Fayetteville Police Department, and Tennessee Highway Patrol.

No additional details have been released about how Meeks and Allen escaped or how they were found.

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This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

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