Missing inmate hid in prison ventilation system for weekend
INSIDE EDITION - Though he remained missing for over a day, a statement from Westville Correctional Facility said Orville Morris didn't even really leave the room in which he was last seen.
According to the statement, Morris had crawled up into some of the mechanical systems in the ceiling of the pallet shop where he worked.
Officials searched the shop twice and had returned a third time they heard a noise. They were able to isolate where the noise came from when they say they found Morris hiding on a ledge along the building’s HVAC system.
When located, Morris reportedly yelled, "I give up! I give up!" something prison officials said they weren't prepared to do until the 35-year-old was back in his cell.
"We never give up. Our teams went through the entire facility three times searching for him. We would keep on searching until he was found," Superintendent Mark Sevier said.
Morris is now being questioned by the facility’s correctional officers.
Prison officials said he will be placed in an extremely high security restrictive housing unit.
He will also be charged internally for his attempted escape, and all information will be referred to the La Porte County Prosecutor for consideration of felony charges.