Illinois inmate escapes after swapping identities and putting on face mask

The FBI is offering a reward for anyone with information on Jahquez Scott

May 7, 2020

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently offering a cash reward to anyone who can help them successfully apprehend an Illinois inmate who escaped from jail after allegedly buying another detainee’s identity.

According to Fox News, over the weekend while being held on a weapons charge, Jahquez Scott (pictured, left) allegedly promised to pay $1,000 to another detainee in exchange for being allowed to steal his identity.

Cook County sheriff’s spokeswoman Sophia Ansari says Scott, who was on parole for the battery of an officer, but rearrested on a weapons charge, swapped sweatshirts with Henderson.

On Saturday when corrections officers at the Cook County Jail called Quintin Henderson’s name for discharge, Scott, 21, brazenly stepped forward wearing a COVID-19 face mask that concealed his distinctive face tattoos and signed release papers before exiting the jail.

U.S. Marshals are assisting with the search for Jahquez Scott who was mistakenly released from Cook County, IL. Jail by impersonating another prisoner who was scheduled for release on bond: https://t.co/6HijHWcWrk

— U.S. Marshals Service (@USMarshalsHQ) May 7, 2020

Henderson later walked up to a member of the correctional facility staff asking if his name had been called. During a bail hearing, prosecutors said he planned to get away with the hoax by simply claiming he had fallen asleep and hadn’t heard them call him for release.

Not only did the plan not work, now the 28-year-old, who was about to be released on his own recognizance in a drug case, is being held in lieu of $25,000 bond on charges of aiding and abetting the escape of a felon.

The FBI is now offering a $2,000 reward for assistance in catching Scott while the sheriff’s office conducts an internal investigation of the circumstances surrounding his escape.

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