Escaped inmate hitches a ride, driver turns out to be a cop

GREENUP, Ky. (AP) - A jail inmate who escaped from authorities and tried hitchhiking along a highway didn't enjoy freedom for long because the motorist he flagged down was a law enforcement officer.

Greenup County Jailer Mike Worthington told The Independent that Allen Lewis, 31, was being transported on Tuesday to face charges in another county when he told the officer his handcuffs were too tight. The officer pulled over and Worthington said after one handcuff was released, the two struggled and Lewis got free.

Lewis made it to a nearby highway and tried to flag down passing cars for a ride, Worthington said. The person who stopped is a campus officer at Morehead State University who saw handcuffs hanging off one wrist.

Lewis was taken back to jail and now faces an escape charge.