Police: Inmate hid hacksaw in Bible

A Houston County Jail inmate used a hidden hacksaw to cut through a cell bar in an escape attempt foiled by an observant corrections officer, according to police.

Gregory Antonio Patterson is being charged with second-degree escape, Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes said. Patterson, 19, was in jail pending trial for two armed robberies of a Shell gas station and a Beeline convenience store.

Hughes said a corrections officer noticed damage to a cell bar on Saturday. A subsequent lock-down and search uncovered a small hacksaw blade.

“It was hidden in the back cover of a Bible,“ Hughes said. “That’s where the blade was found at.“

Hughes said the sheriff’s office is investigating how Patterson obtained a blade, and any parties involved will likely face felony charges.

Hughes said Patterson’s try for an early out was the first escape attempt at the jail since he became sheriff in 2007. Hughes said even if Patterson had been able to saw through the bar, other security measures would have prevented his escape.