Philadelphia inmate escape: 1 of 2 inmates captured as a woman is arrested and charged after police accuse her of aiding fugitives
CNN —
A 21-year-old woman faces four felony charges after Philadelphia authorities accused her of helping two inmates escape a correctional facility – one of whom has since been captured.
Philadelphia police arrested and charged Xianni Stalling with criminal conspiracy, escape, hindering apprehension and criminal use of a communication facility, the Municipal Court of Philadelphia County’s criminal docket shows.
The US Marshals Service arrested Stalling Wednesday in Philadelphia and she was arraigned early Thursday, CNN affiliate WPVI-TV reported. The municipal court set her bail at $500,000, court records show.
A public defender representing Stalling did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Ameen Hurst, 18, and Nasir Grant, 24, broke out of the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center Sunday night through a “deliberately cut” hole in the holding facility’s recreation yard fencing, according to the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.
The men had been missing for nearly a full day before the facility’s staff noticed.
Grant, who had been in custody on narcotics and gun violations, was captured by US Marshals in Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, a Marshal spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.
US Marshals and the Philadelphia Police Department, which described the men as “armed and dangerous,” are offering a combined $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Philadelphia police said there is evidence of communication between Stalling and Hurst, and investigators think she aided in the escape, according to WPVI-TV.
Hurst, described as approximately 6 feet tall and weighing 140 pounds, had been held since March 2021 on charges related to four homicides, according to Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s Office of Professional Compliance said in a statement it is “actively investigating” the escape, including reviewing security tapes and staffing assignments around the time of the jailbreak.
Investigators are also examining phone calls made by Grant and Hurst prior to their escape from the 1,210-capacity, 56-bed prison, which remains under lockdown until Friday.
Source: CNN
