PRICHARD, Ala. — A Prichard work-release inmate is headed back to Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore after taking off over the weekend in a Department of Corrections van, a brief escape that could cost him any chance of an early release.
Inmates are typically placed in work-release programs like the one in Prichard once they are nearing the end of their sentence, giving them a supervised path back into everyday life before their release date. But the man involved in this weekend’s incident may now be looking at additional time behind bars because of the failed escape.
Thirty-three-year-old Fernando Finklea had been serving as a work-release inmate in Prichard with a relatively low-security job as a driver. He had already served 14½ years of a 20-year sentence for robbery. Authorities said Finklea took off in a state-owned Department of Corrections van rather than returning as scheduled after dropping off a fellow inmate around 10:45 p.m. Friday. When he failed to come back, corrections officials realized something was wrong around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and went to Prichard Police headquarters to enlist local officers’ help finding him.
Prichard Police Chief Jerry Speziale said his department worked closely with the Department of Corrections to track down the missing van. “We knew that there was a location in the area of Hart’s Chicken that this individual might be frequenting. As a result of that, they canvassed the area, they came up with the address,” Speziale said.
Officers eventually located the large white van parked in front of an abandoned house. “They then went and noticed the home next door that had the door cracked. The van was running, the vehicle was parked with nobody in it,” the chief said.
When officers approached the neighboring house, another man answered the door. He told police that Finklea had come by to borrow some money and use his cell phone. Finklea had called for a ride, but it was police, not a friend, who arrived. “I was sitting in here and I opened the door, and when I opened the door they was coming right there like where she is, and they said who driving this van, and I said here he is right here,” the man told officers.
Corrections officials said Finklea will face a disciplinary hearing over the escape. Depending on the outcome, he could receive additional time added to his sentence and end up serving out the remainder of his original robbery conviction rather than finishing his term through work release. The incident is a reminder of the trust — and risk — built into work-release programs, which rely on inmates nearing release to follow strict schedules with comparatively little direct supervision in exchange for a gradual reintegration into the community.