Recaptured Houston County inmate was facing a long time in prison when he escaped

A Warner Robins man already was facing a long time in prison when he and another inmate escaped from the Houston County jail when taking out the trash.

Shane Saip, 38, surrendered about 11 a.m. Tuesday following a 15-hour massive manhunt. He was taken back into custody at a barn behind a Mossland Drive residence off Ga. 127, also known as Houston Lake Road.

"He came out, gave up. His arrest was made without incident. No injuries to anyone involved," Houston County sheriff's Maj. Alan Everidge told media representatives outside nearby Houston Lake Baptist Church.

In April, Saip was arrested for multiple burglaries in Houston, Twiggs and Wilcox counties while on parole for prior burglary convictions in Jones County. He had served about three years of a 20-year sentence before he was paroled May 24, 2017.

He was facing the potential reinstatement of his entire sentence if his parole was revoked at a pending hearing, as well as more prison time if convicted of the April charges.

Saip now is facing additional time if convicted on the new charges of conspiracy to escape and escape.

Based on multiple tips from the public and the use of police K-9s, authorities were confident Saip had been on the move under the covering of woods along Ga. 127 and within the area of Lakewood Drive, Mossland Drive, Houston Woods and Langston Road.

The barn where Saip was hiding had been checked three times previously, with Saip having doubled back around in an attempt to take refuge there, Everidge said. A neighbor spotted him heading back in that direction.

Prior to being caught, he had been seen in the area near the Oliver Place apartments on Gray Road less than a mile from the jail.

Another inmate who fled with him, Willie Ames Driver IV, 24, was found after 10 p.m. Monday after asking to use a resident's phone at the complex, Everidge said.

Driver was being held after his arrest in April on a felony charge of identity fraud and misdemeanor charges of obstruction and driving without a license. Driver was also charged with conspiracy to escape and escape.

When recaptured, Driver was found wearing only his undergarments and socks. Authorities believed Saip, too, was only wearing a T-shirt, boxers and socks, but when he was recaptured, he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, Everidge said.

Two green inmate jumpsuits and two pairs of boots were found during a post-dawn search of woods near the apartment complex.

Saip allegedly broke into a woman's apartment in the complex and then a home on Houston Lake Road during his flight. He may also face burglary charges related to the two alleged break-ins, Everidge said.

"He was tired, cut up a little bit. He'd been through a lot of briers and bushes," said Everidge, who was up all night during the search.

Authorities believe Saip had "thought about the escape" beforehand.

Saip and Driver ran away while taking out trash under a deputy escort as part of a kitchen detail about 8 p.m. Monday. The dumpster is not within a fenced area.

"Some of the bags were extra heavy, so they went around to the back of the dumpster instead of throwing them over the top," Everidge said. "They took off on foot toward the woods behind the jail."

Whether the dumpster area should be fenced in is something that's expected to be looked at as part of an investigation into the escape, Everidge said.

"Inmates go out of the jail every day to work," Everidge said. "It's a risk when we have inmate labor. The potential is always there."

At the height of manhunt, more than 50 law enforcement officers from the Houston County Sheriff’s Officer, Perry Police Department, Georgia State Patrol and the state Department of Community Supervision searched for Saip.

"We were not going home until we put him back where he belonged in the county jail," Everidge said.

This story was originally published June 5, 2018 at 6:14 AM with the headline "Recaptured Houston County inmate was facing a long time in prison when he escaped."