Skip to main content

User account menu

  • Log in
  • Rss
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Shopping cart 0
Cart

Search

Search
Home The Winona Times

Domain menu for The Winona Times (main)

  • Post
    • Post Dashboard
    • Leaderboard
    • Payment Settings
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • Submit News
    • FAQ
    • Monthly Website Statistics
    • Our History
    • Our Staff
    • Privacy Policy
    • Rack Locations
  • Most Read
  • Most Recent
  • More News
  • Sports
  • E-Editions
  • Opinion
  • Advertising
    • Ad Rates
    • Ad Staff
  • Calendar
  • Obituaries
  • Social
  • Subscribe
  • State
  • The Conservative
  • Post
    • Post Dashboard
    • Leaderboard
    • Payment Settings
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • Submit News
    • FAQ
    • Monthly Website Statistics
    • Our History
    • Our Staff
    • Privacy Policy
    • Rack Locations
  • Most Read
    • Most Read This Week
    • Most Read This Month
    • Most Read This Year
    • Most Read All Time
  • Most Recent
  • More News
    • Cartoons
    • Crime
    • Documents
    • Politics
    • Public Notices
    • Videos
  • Sports
  • E-Editions
    • Archives
    • Magazine
    • Newspaper E-Edition
    • Special Sections
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Comments
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Polls
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • Advertising
    • Ad Rates
    • Ad Staff
  • Calendar
  • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Social
    • Anniversaries/Births
    • Schools
    • Engagements/Weddings
    • Submit an Anniversary
    • Submit a Birth
    • Submit an Engagement
    • Submit School News
    • Submit a Wedding
  • Subscribe
  • State
  • The Conservative

MDOC escaped convicts captured

READ MORE > 101,700 Reads
On Fri, 07/05/2019 - 05:47 PM

Update (Wednesday, July 10): The two inmates who escaped the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County are now in custody.

Christopher Benson High, 28, was arrested this morning after Jonathan Blankenship, 31, was first apprehended. Both were captured in Meridian without incident. More details to follow.

Blankenship has been serving five years for aggravated assault on a police officer and conspiracy to commit a crime in Alcorn County.

High received 12 years for burglary larceny of an unoccupied dwelling in Carroll County.

The manner in which the men escaped is under investigation. Because of the active investigation and search, the agency is not discussing how the escape occurred.

 

Update (Sunday, July 7): Escaped Parchman Inmate Benny Ray Blansett is now in custody.

Blansett, 59, was captured without incident by officers with the Mississippi Department of Corrections just before 11 p.m. Saturday at a checkpoint on Lombardi Road in Sunflower County.

Blansett has been returned to the Mississippi State Penitentiary and will face an escape charge. He had been on the run since escaping Unit 30 on Friday.

The other two escapees are still at large.

 

Update: Movement is now restricted statewide in the prison system as the Mississippi Department of Corrections continues to hunt for escaped inmates Benny Ray Blansett, Jonathan Blankenship, and Christopher Benson High.

The statewide lockdown means visitation and other privileges are suspended until further notice not only at the state prisons but also at the private prisons, regional facilities, and community work centers.

 

Original story:

Three Mississippi inmates escaped this morning from two different correctional centers.

Two men escaped from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl Friday morning, one of whom was convicted in Carroll County.

Christopher Benson High, 28, was convicted of burglary larceny of an occupied dwelling in Carroll County in 2016.  He is serving a 12 year sentence.

High is 5 feet 7 inches tall at 145 pounds with hazel eyes and brown hair. He also has tattoos, including on his chest and arms.

Jonathan Blankenship, 31, was convicted of aggravated assault on a police officer and conspiracy to commit a crime in Alcorn County.  He is serving a total of five years. 

Blankenship stands 5 feet 10 inches tall at 200 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. He uses the alias Hustle. He has tattoos on his face and neck.

According to a release by the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the two were discovered missing at 7 a.m. Friday morning as the search for an escaped inmate from the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman was underway.

Benny Ray Blansett, 59, was discovered missing from Unit 30 at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at 3:17 a.m. this morning during a count. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, with the words “MDOC Convict” on back, and black and white striped pants.

He is serving life for two uttering forgery convictions, two jail escapes, aggravated assault on a police officer, and burglary.  All, except one conviction, occurred in Marion County. He was also convicted of jail escape in Sunflower County.

Blansett is a white male standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 169 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

According to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, visitation and other privileges at the all three state prisons are suspended as the Mississippi Department of Corrections continues to search for three escapees and to investigate their escapes.

The Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP) at Parchman, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF) in Pearl, and the South Mississippi Correctional Institution (SMCI) in Leakesville – the three state-operated facilities -- are on lockdown until further notice.

If you see the men or know of their whereabouts, call the MDOC at 662-745-6611 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477). Anyone with information that leads to an arrest could be eligible for a reward.

‹ PreviousNext ›

Sign Up for Notifications of Local Breaking News

Start E-mail NotificationsStop E-mail NotificationsStart Mobile NotificationsStop Mobile Notifications

Obituaries

Susie Kuykendall McElroy

Susie Kuykendall McElroy, 91, born in Money, Miss. on January 3, 1929, passed away Wednesday,… READ MORE

Lora Ann McCuiston
Lester Bell, Jr.
Tannie Dixon, Jr.
Johnnie Forrest
Alberta Miller

Most Recent

State procurement review board approves $156 million in exemptions from law requiring reverse auctions from state and local agencies

While reverse auctions are the law in Mississippi, the state’s Public Procurement Review Board has… READ MORE

Legislature considering bills that could provide a pay hike for teachers and increase transparency
Legislature considering bills that could provide a pay hike for teachers and increase transparency
Mississippi health officer: January will likely be state’s worst month for COVID-19 deaths
Governor Reeves Made Two Judicial Appointments
Mississippi Covid-19 Update : January 15th, 2021

Most Read News Article

  • Week
  • Month
  • Year
  • All Time

Recipe even better the next day

I found this great recipe on social media, and I made it last week. It was delicious the day I made… READ MORE

Mississippi federal delegation would vote along party lines on impeachment
City of Madison files another brief in lawsuit that could overturn state's medical marijuana program before it begins
Small Business Job Growth Continues in December - Over half of small business employers reported hiring or trying to hire
Congressmen Kelly, Guest met with Mississippi ‘patriot’ group before Capitol riot
Auditor’s Office Arrests Former Pearl River County Crimestoppers Board Member

Recipe even better the next day

I found this great recipe on social media, and I made it last week. It was delicious the day I made… READ MORE

Winona to host drive-in Christmas movie
Winona woman sentenced following fight in SuperValu
Mask enforcement effort needed in Vaiden
Try these Christmas Eve treats
Drive-in draws many

Rebels roll to convincing wins

The Carroll Academy Rebels post two big district wins this week in convincing fashion. The Rebels… READ MORE

Needy families get July 4th holiday boost
Local legislators hard at work
One person killed in Sunday storms in Carroll County
Favorite dips to enjoy for summer
BREAKING: Montgomery County reporting second case of coronavirus

“Hill Fire: Knee Deep” based on the stories of the late Arnold Dyre

This weekend, the Montgomery County Arts Council will present a special play inspired by the life… READ MORE

Coffey commits to Ole Miss
Julia Wiggins Sanders
Beat the heat with ice cream
Veterans Helping Veterans hold town hall meeting
Thomas Howard "Tom" Shute

SOCIAL

The littlest angels

In 2019, Matt and Corey Miletello experienced tragedy most could not imagine.  They buried three… READ MORE

Hot soups to warm you on cold days
Keep warm with fall soups
Whatever it takes
Get ready for the big game party
Finding her place

SPORTS

Tigers bring home two big wins

The Winona Tigers returned from the Christmas break and opened up division play with a pair of… READ MORE

Lady Rebels pick up two wins
Lady Stars pick up three wins, Stars go 2-3
In women’s hoops, we suddenly have a real Mississippi rivalry
His name is Carson, he lives in Raymond, and he will officiate the national championship
Tigers meet Calhoun City

Copyright 2019 • Montgomery Publishing
401 Summit St. • Winona, MS 38967 • (662)-283-1131

Emmerich Newspapers proudly serve the following Mississippi communities:
Click on the city name to visit its website.

ACKERMAN • CARROLLTON • CHARLESTON • CLARKSDALE • COLUMBIA • EUPORA • FOREST • GREENVILLE • GREENWOOD • GRENADA • HATTIESBURG • JACKSON • KOSCIUSKO • INDIANOLA • LOUISVILLE • MAGEE • MENDENHALL • McCOMB • NEWTON • PETAL • QUITMAN • SENATOBIA • WINONA • YAZOO CITY

As well as: DUMAS, Ark. • TALLULAH, La • FRANKLINTON, La.

For more information on how to extend your advertising message to these communities, click here.