Local News in Brief : Drug Suspect Escapes
A suspected drug dealer escaped from the downtown Parker Center jail early Friday by switching identification wristbands and clothing with another inmate, police said.
Bernard Gibson, 25, was discovered missing at 5:30 a.m., about four hours after slipping away, police spokesman Bill Frio said. Gibson, described as 6 feet tall and weighing 160 pounds, was last seen wearing a yellow-and-white striped T-shirt, tan pants and white shoes.
Frio said Gibson was arrested Thursday for allegedly selling drugs on the street. Frio said Gibson was released about 1:30 a.m. after switching clothing and identification wristbands with an inmate identified as Donald Moss.
Moss, who was also arrested Thursday on drug-related charges, claimed that Gibson took his clothes and wristband while he was sleeping. “That’s not likely,” Frio said, adding that Moss, who was eligible for release on his own recognizance, was rebooked on suspicion of aiding an escape.
The Parker Center jail holds roughly 175 inmates, all of whom share cells with as many as eight others at a time.
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