Kentucky Inmate Breaks Out of Prison, Returns Because It’s Too Cold
Winter is probably not the best time to think about breaking out of prison, especially during some of the coldest temperatures the Midwest has felt in decades. Just ask 42-year-old Robert Vick, who after escaping from a Kentucky prison earlier this week, turned himself back in because he got too cold.
Authorities say Vick managed to escape from the Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington early Monday morning, but after braving wind chills of 18 degrees below zero, he knocked on the door of a local hotel and asked the manager to contact the police.
"I answered the door, and he said, 'Call the law on me,' and I looked at him kinda silly, and he said, 'Well, I’m the one who escaped from Blackburn,'" said 61-year-old hotel manager Maurice King. "He said, 'I’ve got to turn myself in, I’m froze to death.' He was just shaking and everything.”
Prison officials say that Vick was serving a six-year sentence at the minimum security facility for burglary and criminal possession of a forged document. They say they are not entirely sure why he decided to escape… he was up for parole in March.
“He was very polite,” said King, who did his best to keep Vick comfortable while waiting for police to arrive. “He was a real good guy; he was calm and collected. He just froze. He was ready to go back.”
Authorities say that Vick was treated for exposure before returning to prison.