ST. MARIES, Idaho - 30 year old Tim Allen tried escaping from the jail around 10:30 Wednesday night. He's the second inmate to try and escape from the jail in less than a year. Deputies quickly discovered Allen as he broke a hole in the sheet rock of his cell and tried to shimmy down the building's internal pipes to the ground level. Jesse Wilkerson last Fall also tried escaping from a different cell by removing bricks and digging mortar from the wall.
Benewah County Sheriff R.L. Kirts acknowledges structural issues with the jail and says he's been "working on getting a new jail for 30 years." KHQ's Dylan Wohlenhaus spoke with Benewah county commissioner Phil Lampert who didn't know of the attempted escape until we informed him of it. He says this will most likely prompt the issue of new jail or jail improvements to be discussed at the next city council meeting. Lampert says the city council agrees that issues at the jail need to be addressed, but the counties biggest hurdle is "funding". Lampert says, "Everything is on the table. From a new jail, to structural improvements. But it will take a lot of money to get that done. Things are tight."
Allen was arrested on a parole violation in Benewah county and awaiting transfer to the state of Idaho. He has since been transported and being held in the Shoshone county jail.
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