South Carolina Inmate May Have Used Drone in Prison Escape

A South Carolina inmate who escaped from a maximum-security prison earlier this week may have used a drone to fly in wire cutters and break free, authorities said Friday. Jimmy Causey, a convicted kidnapper, was captured at a Texas motel early Friday, two days after he escaped from prison for the second time in 12 years. Investigators said he used a smuggled-in cellphone to set up the delivery of tools he’d need to escape, then planted a dummy in his bed to fool prison guards before using wire cutters to cut through fences. “We believe a drone was used to fly in the tools that allowed him to escape,” South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said Friday. No further details were provided on why authorities suspect a drone, but Stirling said it wasn’t yet confirmed. Prison officials are also investigating why Causey’s absence wasn’t noticed by guards until 2 p.m. the day after he escaped.