The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is refusing to discuss an inmate who escaped from the county’s Honor Farm jail on Friday, Jan. 13.
Tremaine Stacy Norwood is still on the loose. San Joaquin custody officers found a shoe on the ground and inmate jacket on the north fence of the Honor Farm; Norwood was identified as the escaped inmate after officers conducted a jail count.
The sheriff’s office did not release a photo of Norwood on the day of his escape. A photo was not posted until Tuesday, Jan. 17.
ABC10 News ran a story on Monday, Jan. 16, questioning why the sheriff’s office had not posted a photo nor a description of the escaped inmate for three days after he went missing.
The sheriff’s office’s Facebook post, which was updated on Tuesday with Norwood’s booking photo, is still lacking a physical description of the inmate, including his height or weight.
Former and current law enforcement officials from a number of different agencies said the decision not to release a photo immediately after identifying an escaped inmate is a significant break from protocol.
“I have never seen anything quite like this," Frank Gayaldo, Jr. former San Joaquin County correctional training officer, said. "I don’t understand what the end game is. It’s been over 48 hours. Usually you want to get that information out to the public as soon as possible. I can’t say what they’re plan is but it’s highly unusual. I’ve never seen anything like it."
According to a chart Gayaldo shared, a total of 92 inmates have escaped from the San Joaquin County Jail between 2012 to 2015.
A spokesman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office declined to grant ABC10 News an interview, calling the search for Norwood an active investigation.