(TheRedWire.com) – A horrifying tornado hit parts of Kentucky, causing a swath of damage on Friday, December 10. Among the buildings leveled to the ground was a Kentucky candle factory. The tornado killed at least eight workers, and eight others are still unaccounted for among the ruins. Seven inmates were among those working when the tornado hit, participating in a work program. Workers said after the tornado leveled the building, the inmates didn’t run when they had the chance. Instead, they worked as hard as they could to help rescue trapped people under the rubble.
A work-release inmate reportedly escaped from a hospital where he was being treated for injuries following the collapse of a Kentucky candle factory https://t.co/kNtEHh6BXo
— Insider News (@InsiderNews) December 13, 2021
There was one notable exception. After rescuers found him in the rubble, emergency personnel took Graves County inmate Francisco Starks, 44, to a medical center for injuries he sustained in the storm. At around 5:00 pm, police said the hospital notified them Starks was missing. Police believe the convict either fled on foot or obtained a ride after no one noticed he was an inmate.
Starks was serving time for convictions on burglary, car theft, and receiving stolen property charges. The inmates participated in a work-release program designed for low-security, low-level offenders. Police continue to search for the missing inmate. Unfortunately, the jail supervisor on duty at the factory that night died at the scene. A Graves County Jail official said Deputy Robert Daniel lost his life while moving the seven prisoners to a safer location.
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