Video of jail attack released as Ray County officials, feds hunt for escaped inmate

Ray County officials released security footage Wednesday night of a Ray County inmate who escaped the jail and has been on the run for days, working with another inmate to attack and stab a jail worker around a dozen times with a homemade weapon before fleeing.

In security footage released Wednesday night, Justin Robinson and another inmate overpower a jail worker and use a shank fashioned from metal peeled off the jail wall to hit the worker in the neck 10 to 12 times.

The two inmates escaped, but officials found one of them that same night, Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers said. Authorities, including the U.S. Marshals and the Department of Homeland Security as well as local law enforcement, are continuing to search for Robinson.

Metal used to fashion the shank made it too weak to cause serious injuries to the worker.

In a video posted to Facebook Wednesday night, Childers said that officials don’t have “a great idea” of Robinson’s location, but he does believe Ray County residents are safe. He encouraged community members to remain vigilant, lock their doors and help keep one another safe.

Robinson was charged in January with several counts of first-degree domestic assault and endangering the welfare of a child for stabbing his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach.

Robinson is 5 feet and 10 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark shorts. He has brown hair and brown eyes, and an “816” tattoo across his neck.

He was last seen Tuesday around 2:45 a.m. in the area of Spartan Drive and East Main Street in Richmond.

Anyone who sees him is urged to call 911 immediately.

Poor conditions in the jail have allowed for several inmate escapes in recent years and pose health concerns, Childers said. The jail has mold and mildew, peeling metal from walls can be fashioned into weapons and the ceilings can easily be kicked in allowing inmates to escape.

In 2021, Ray County residents voted against a sales tax increase that would’ve put money toward purchasing a new jail. Childers said he’ll continue pushing for change to prevent further escapes and suicides within the jail.

“I take this burden very seriously, wear it heavy on my shoulders,” Childers said. “Changes will be coming, and I don’t want to ever see this happen again.”