HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala. (WDHN) — Officials say Chase Miller escaped the Houston County Jail Saturday afternoon and that everything was working in his favor to escape the jail, but that luck ran out on Rucker Boulevard in Enterprise.

Sheriff Donald Valenza says that Miller was working in the kitchen Saturday afternoon when he went to the door to exit the kitchen, into the jail’s courtyard.

He then went out of the main gate in the courtyard and was able to open it because there was a malfunction in the gate.

“The gate had a malfunction in it, where it normally slides into the V-lock. The gate must have pushed it left of the v-lock, which apparently stops the gate and they had about a 10 to a 12-inch gap in the gate,” Houston County Sheriff, Donald Valenza said.

Also in Miller’s favor was the camera in the courtyard malfunctioned which gave Miller about an hour’s headstart.

Possibly the first escape from the current Houston County Jail facility.

“That I am aware of, we’ve never had one escape that facility,” Sheriff Valenza said.

Law enforcement then began to search as they got reports he may have been east of the Circle City on Highway 52 near Webb.

Later that night, Valenza says that Miller stole a truck and drove down US Highway 84 before Dale County deputies stopped the truck, but Miller bailed and ran into the woods in Daleville

“We saw some hot spots but we could never positively identify it was him,” Sheriff Valenza said.

Then on Sunday afternoon, Miller was spotted on Rucker Boulevard in Enterprise, where Enterprise police were able to arrest him.

Photo of Miller’s arrest courtesy of Rickey Stokes News

Miller before this past weekend was on trustee status which allowed him certain priveledges like the ability to work in the kitchen, but Valenza says that will change after what happened:

“I’m not happy about him being on trustee status, but I think there should have been more of a selection on that status and there will be in the future,” Sheriff Valenza said.

Miller is now back in the Houston County Jail facing his receiving stolen property charge and a robbery charge out of Dale County, but now Miller is facing an escape change where no bond has been issued in the case.