PICAYUNE —
A man who escaped from jail after attending his father’s wake is suspected of having carried out an armed robbery on the Texas-Arkansas state line.
Johnny Hall escaped from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody on Friday while attending his father’s wake in Picayune, with some help from an accomplice, according to an earlier press release from MDOC. An updated MDOC press release states his accomplice is Mary Virginia “Jenna” Rhea. She is described as being a white female who is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing between 190 and 200 pounds.
A previous story in the Item states Rhea assisted in 30-year-old Hall’s escape on Friday as MDOC personnel were escorting him out of the wake and back to a prison transport vehicle. At that time Rhea approached Hall as if to give him a hug, but instead pushed Hall into a nearby 2007 black Honda Accord before driving away.
The updated press release states Rhea’s Accord bears a license tag number of 959AU, which is an Auburn University vanity tag. The vehicle also has an AU sticker on the right corner of the rear windshield, the release states.
Hall is believed to have been last seen on Saturday. He is the suspect in the robbery of an Exxon gas station along the Texas-Arkansas state line, according to a WLOX story. An employee of the gas station told the Texarkana Police Department that a white male entered the store at about midnight Saturday before displaying a gun and demanding cash. Officers reviewed surveillance video footage and recognized the suspect as Hall, the WLOX story states.
Described as a white male who is 6 feet, 3 inches tall, weighing about 175 pounds, with tattoos on his face and in other areas, Hall was serving 17 years for convictions on three burglaries that occurred in Pearl River County. The MDOC release describes Hall’s notable tattoos as the words “Courtney” on his right arm and “Lil Johnny” on his chest.
Anyone who has seen Hall or the vehicle in question is urged to call the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility at 601-888-3199, the Mississippi Department of Corrections at 662-745-6611 or a local law enforcement agency.
Local News
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Prison escapee Johnny Hall from Picayune is suspected of robbing and service station on the Texas-Arkansas state line.
Hall suspected of robbery after escaping
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