Violent sex offender accused of trying to kill Alabama trooper escapes from jail

Published 3:12 pm Monday, October 28, 2019

An Alabama inmate with a violent history of eluding law enforcement is on the run again.

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office says 30-year-old John Kaleb Gillespie escaped from the jail in Decatur on Sunday.

Sheriff’s officials say another inmate helped Gillespie climb over a recreation yard wall.

Officials say Gillespie tried to run over an Alabama state trooper in Lawrence County in November 2018 as officers fired on his truck.

Gillespie eluded officers other times before he was captured at a Decatur house following a five-hour standoff.

The sheriff’s office is urging anyone who sees Gillespie to not approach him, but to instead call police.

Gillespie’s recent arrest history includes attempting to promote prison contraband, drug trafficking, failing to register as a sex offender and probation violation on second-degree rape.