Orangeburg SC (WLTX) - A man accused of escaping during a jailbreak from the Orangeburg County Detention Center appeared in court Tuesday for the first time since he was recaptured.
A judge set a $250,000 cash surety bond for 27-year-old Christopher Boltin. She said while there are certain charges where bond can be waived, escape is not one of them. He will be required to wear an ankle monitor if he posts bond.
Boltin is accused of breaking out of the jail on Saturday night along with Curtis Green, 20, and Tyshon Johnson, 25. Johnson was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Winston-Salem, NC.
Boltin was found Sunday in Lexington County.
Officers have also arrested Boltin’s father, 51-year-old Hoyte Boltin, who they say helped his son after he left the prison. Boltin told investigators he knew his son escaped and drove him to Lexington County, according to a state representative. His bond was set at $15,000 for aiding an escape of someone not charged with a capital crime, a misdemeanor. If found guilty, he faces two years in prison.
Tyree Hillard, a resident outside the detention center, is also accused of assisting Green and Johnson in connection to the escape. Hillard is charged with two felony counts of aiding an escapee facing capital offenses, which could result in a maximum of 10 years in prison for each charge. His total bond was set at $15,000 — $7,500 for each count.
A fourth inmate was part of the jailbreak, but was captured before making it past the fence.
Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young says on the night of the escape, there was an electrical short which compromised the jail's security. He says the prisoners were able to exploit the weakness and get out.
A jail officer tried to stop the escapees, but was overpowered. The suspect then used mace on the guard and ran out of the building.
Young says the group then used blankets to climb over the barbed-wire fence.
"They had access to their bedding and stuff, so they snatched sheets and stuff out of their pod to throw across the wire to help get across the wire," Young said. "With all of the construction they ducked through one area and hit the wood line and probably got to the railroad tracks and probably just ran from there."
The jail is nearly 42 years old, and Young says a new jail that's currently under construction likely would have prevented the escape.
If you think you have information about Green's whereabouts, deputies ask you to contact the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office immediately at (803) 534-3550 or call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Anyone who sees him, however, is urged to call 911 immediately.
