St. Louis detainee escapes through jail ceiling

Maurio Thomas, 29, escaped from the St. Louis City Justice Center early Sunday morning by crawling through a second-floor ceiling. Thomas, who was being held without bond on charges of first-degree burglary and first-degree sodomy, reportedly entered the ceiling after being led to a room to make a phone call.

Jail officials acknowledged significant security failures, noting that the facility's alarm system failed to sound and officers were not monitoring Thomas at the time of his escape. The escape was only discovered via surveillance footage roughly two hours after it occurred. City Public Safety Director Shawn Dace described the incident as a ‘perfect storm,’ citing Thomas's small, athletic build and the failure of the ceiling alarms.

Thomas was apprehended approximately 14 hours later in Affton, near Tesson Ferry Road and Heritage Drive, with assistance from St. Louis County’s drone program and license plate readers. Additionally, 71-year-old William Mapes has been arrested and charged with hindering prosecution for allegedly assisting the escape. Jail officials are currently reviewing exit procedures and retraining staff.