A convicted murderer, Julian Brooks Deloach, was thought to have gone missing in a Georgia jail in April 2025. What followed was a full jail lockdown, with officers frantically searching for Deloach in every single cell and every single prison area. They, however, eventually realized what had happened. Deloach remained locked inside a courtroom cell, with officers completely forgetting about it.
Videos by Wide Open Country
According to WSBTV, the incident took place at Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro, Georgia. Deloach became displaced for a total of 12 hours inside the Georgia jail, to the despair of the officers who desperately searched for him.
It was after they managed to review security camera footage to backtrack what had happened that they finally made the discovery. Deloach hadn't escaped, but was placed in a courtroom holding cell after making an appearance on a misdemeanor case. As per the outlet, the case was dismissed.
Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen discussed the details with WSBTV, revealing the extent of the officer's search efforts.
"They searched every cell, every area of the jail, searching for him," Allen said. "Ultimately, by the time we reviewed cameras and backtracked and took us back into the courtroom where he was at, ultimately, of course, hours had passed."
Sheriff Addresses The Incident
According to Allen, what caused the incident was a "mix-up" in regards who was supposed to take Deloach down. This, inevitably, ended up with him being left in the holding cell. While the cell does have a sink, toilet, and bench, there is no bed. Moreover, the cells are typically unsupervised unless the court is in session, about to begin, or has just concluded.
"There is no one actually monitoring that particular cell if there was a distress call," Allen added.
According to a Clayton County official, Julian Brooks Deloach was convicted of murder back in 1984. While he was released on parole in 2010, it was revoked since then. Reportedly, he was embroiled in a family violence misdemeanor case while he was free.
What happened with Deloach prompted a swift response by Allen. According to him, he has proposed two correctional sergeant demotions as well as two deputy suspensions. Three of them accepted the disciplinary action. While supervising the jail, he has terminated more than 100 people and has even arrested 12.
