Nelson County Sheriff’s Office locates, arrests escaped inmate after days-long search
The Nelson County Sheriff's Office is still actively searching for Ja'wan McKight, who allegedly escaped from custody last Friday.
NELSON COUNTY, Ky. (ABC 36 News Now) —
On Saturday around 11:30 a.m., the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office located and arrested an inmate who allegedly escaped from county detail on Tuesday, according to a social media post.
Tuesday evening, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office reported that Jerry Nation was believed to be in the Woodlawn, Nelson County area after he allegedly escaped county work detail on foot. Before the alleged escape, Nation was charged with wanton endangerment, assault in the third degree, and fleeing or evading police.
According to Nelson County Detention Center Jailer Justin Hall, Nation was originally looking at a release date of Nov. 6, 2026. However, Nation is looking at an additional five years in jail, along with revocation of any probation.
“As it stands, he will not be seeing the outside of a jail for the next 10+ years of his life,” Hall said in a Facebook post.
According to the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, Nation was located inside of a large metal shed on Murphy Lane in Chaplin. Multiple residents had called in tips, which led law enforcement to his discovery.
The sheriff’s office believes before his arrest, Nation was continuously “hopping around” between multiple areas during the active search, rather than staying stagnant in one area. A vehicle that Nation allegedly stole, a red Chevrolet pickup truck, was located in the nearby area.
Assisting the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office in locating Nation was the Spencer County Sheriff’s Office, the Bloomfield Police Department, the Bardstown Police Department, Kentucky State Police, the Nelson County Drone Team, and Nelson County Dispatch, according to a social post.
The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office is still actively searching for Ja’wan McKight, an inmate who allegedly escaped while being transported to the Nelson County Correctional Center on Friday, April 10.
McKight is believed to be in the Bardstown, Nelson County area.
Individuals with information on his whereabouts are asked to contact the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office at (502) 348-1840.
