Inmates’ escape route shown in affidavits
The escape of Noah Roush and Jatonia Bryant from the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Detention Center put Jefferson County residents on high alert last week, but that is only a small part of their well-documented life of suspected crime.
Roush pleaded no contest to three counts of forgery in 2022 and one count of theft by receiving that same year. Bryant is accused of capital murder in the July 29, 2023, shooting death of Christopher Harris outside a residence on West Eighth Avenue in Pine Bluff.
Probable-cause affidavits give clues as to how the two men escaped from the county jail. Sheriff’s investigator Rodney Allen noted Roush and Bryant were missing from the jail about 11 a.m. Monday.
“Detainee Roush and Bryant were assigned to the Misdemeanor 2 pod,” Allen wrote in the affidavits. “A hole was located in the shower of Misdemeanor 2 which led to a hole on the roof [of] DBDC [Dub Brassell Detention Center]. A review of the camera footage showed Detainee Roush and Bryant climbing down the wall from the roof on Jan. 20, 2024, at approximately 2140 hours [9:40 p.m.]”
Roush was caught Thursday afternoon in the area of 19th Avenue and Plum Street and brought back to the jail. Photos purported to be of his capture by citizens have surfaced on social media.
The Commercial could not independently verify the source of the photo, but sheriff’s deputies say they are not familiar with the men who appeared to detain Roush while walking in a neighborhood.
The sheriff’s office Thursday issued a news release stating that Capt. Yohance Brunson arrived in the area and spotted Roush, who officials say attempted to elude Brunson on foot. Brunson reportedly chased Roush down and took him into custody with help from Capt. Brad Vilches and Officer Aaron Torres of the Southeast Arkansas College Department of Public Safety.
Reached by phone Friday about the arrest, sheriff’s Maj. John Bean and Brunson said they did not know who the men were in the photo, but noticed the photo on social media. Brunson said he did not see them when he first made contact with Roush on 20th Avenue, which he said was full of people. Brunson added he and Roush got into a little tussle before the two officers from SEARK caught him.
Roush, 22, was charged with second-degree escape, a Class B felony. Circuit Judge Alex Guynn set bail at $500,000 cash only for Roush in an order issued Friday.
Bryant, 23, was captured Monday. (See related story.)
Roush was formally charged last July 21 on a charge of theft of
property. He was accused of residential burglary at a residence on Sulphur Springs Road on June 2. The resident’s boyfriend followed a pickup with Roush as a passenger and her window air conditioner unit until sheriff’s deputies could make contact, according to an affidavit. Roush and the driver were reportedly pulled over at 52nd Avenue and Main Street.
Last April 21 Roush pleaded no contest to three counts of forgery and was sentenced to five years’ probation. He was accused of trying to cash three bogus checks between Dec. 12-15, 2022, each at a different business in Pine Bluff, according to court papers.
That trial is rescheduled for April 17 of this year.
Roush also pleaded no contest to theft by receiving a moped stolen from a residence valued between $1,000 and $5,000 on May 24, 2022. An affidavit detailed how Roush took off after an officer noticed him and was detained without further incident. His probation from that case runs concurrently with the penalty from last April.
Bryant was booked into the county jail Aug. 18 on a charge of capital murder, three counts of terroristic acts (shooting at an occupied structure) and two counts of aggravated assault (displaying a firearm to a man and a woman). He was to be held without bail.
Bryant was charged Oct. 25 in the July 29 shooting death of Christopher Harris, who was found face down in a yard outside a home on West Eighth Avenue. The arrest warrant was served Oct. 30.
Several spent shell casings were located in the intersection of Eighth Avenue and Myrtle Street. Bryant was alleged to be one of the shooters.
A public defender assigned to Bryant requested in December to be relieved from the case, saying he represents a victim in another case and anticipates conflicting testimonies to arise. Lott Rolfe IV is now listed as Bryant’s attorney.
A court date has not been set.
Bryant was also charged with third-degree battery in a February 2020 incident involving his child’s mother at the home of her mother. He was also charged with first-degree battery in a shooting on 20th Avenue and Marsh Street in March 2022.
His bonds of $10,000 in the 2020 incident and $100,000 in the 2022 shooting have been revoked.