That One Time Kennewick Was Featured On The Top 5 Jail Breaks In America

Did Benton County Washington Have The Easiest Jailbreak Of All Time?

Kennewick Washington is famous for lots of things but one of our least shining moments is when we were featured on national TV with a video of the easiest jailbreak ever from the Benton County Justice Center.

See Video Of Benton County Washington Jailbreak

Gerald Hyde II makes it look easy to escape the Benton County jail as he casually exits through an empty courtroom and hits the streets of Kennewick.

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A&E television's show Court Cam spotlighted Kennewick as their #1 easiest jailbreak of all time from Season 2, Episode 9. The story made national headlines back in February 2016 

Here are the details from NBC news on the incident:

A convict in Benton County, WA, managed to evade his armed guard, slip back into the courtroom in which he was convicted, and then flee, shoeless, through the front door of the courthouse.

One minute after Gerald Hyde II is seen being led from the courtroom in the Benton County Justice Center, can be seen on security footage re-entering the room while wearing handcuffs, a prison-issue shirt, and bright orange jail shoes.

He quickly removes his shirt and uses it to hide his cuffs, then slips out through the public exit. He initially walks calmly through the courthouse before kicking off the shoes and making a sprint through the front door, past a number of onlookers.

The good news is that Hyde was picked up two hours later at a friend's house.

It's been years since the video and story ran on national websites but with reruns on A&E's Court Cam, Benton County Law Enforcement on occasion is reminded to lock the doors and secure the prisoners.

You can revisit the incident and check out more details on this infamous jailbreak here.