AL inmate escaped again, Tennessee officials say

MARION COUNTY, Tenn. (WHNT) – Authorities in Tennesse say an inmate who escaped multiple times has escaped again and may be in Alabama.

Johnny Lewis Payne, 48, was able to escape on Saturday as he was transferred from Marion County Jail to Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute, according to the sheriff’s office.

Payne had escaped from Elba Community Facility in Coffee County, Alabama on June 2, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC). He was serving a 20-year sentence for receiving stolen property, a crime he was charged with committing in Jackson County in 2012, as AL.com reported.

Payne was captured in Tennessee days later when he surrendered to deputies without violence.

He was being held in Marion County Jail on multiple counts, including carjacking and receiving stolen goods, after authorities said he stole an Elba City truck and drove it in Talladega. This truck has not been found.

In Talladega, police said Payne stole a tank truck from a construction site and drove it to Marion County, Tennessee, where he was arrested.

The ADOC reports that Payne is a bald white man, about 5’9 tall, weighing about 170 pounds with blue eyes.

If you have any information on Johnny Payne’s whereabouts, ADOC asks that you contact your local law enforcement agency, Marion Couty Sheriff’s Office, or ADOC at (800) 831-8825.