January 1, WATCH: Five Inmates Escape Missouri Jail

Authorities are searching for five inmates who escaped from the St. Francois County Detention Center in Farmington, Missouri, on Tuesday night.

The inmates, identified as Kelly McSean, Dakota Pace, Aaron Sebastian, LuJuan Tucker, and Michael Wilkins, escaped from the jail’s rooftop through the vents and pipes of the building’s plumbing system. From there, they made their way to the ground, St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Gregory Armstrong said.

The suspects discarded their orange jumpsuits and were spotted on surveillance footage wearing white thermal leggings, white boxers and/or basketball shorts, and white T-shirts. Except for Tucker, who was wearing a black shirt, the sheriff’s department said.

Within 15 minutes, the inmates made their way to the Centene Corporation’s parking lot and stole a gray 2009 Toyota Scion TC with Missouri temporary tags and no front plate. The suspects were last seen fleeing in the stolen vehicle, headed in a “southerly direction,” the sheriff’s office said.

All five inmates were being held on felony charges, authorities said. Three of them — Tucker, Sebastian, and McSean — are known sex offenders.

“If you spot any escaped inmate, call 9-1-1 and do not approach the fugitives,” the sheriff’s department said.

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Source: NBC News