A repeat escapee is on the loose in West Tennessee after 59-year-old inmate Gerald Pete Samples slipped out of the Crockett County Jail in Alamo on Wednesday, triggering a multi-agency manhunt that has spilled into neighboring Gibson County.
Samples was last seen in a brown shirt and brown pants. He is described as about 6-foot-2 and roughly 200 pounds. Investigators say the search now stretches across rural roads and wooded areas as law enforcement fans out across the countryside. The Crockett County Sheriff’s Office has also opened an internal probe into whether anyone helped Samples get out of custody.
The sheriff’s department launched the search after discovering Samples missing from the facility, according to FOX13 Memphis. Officials told the station that Samples had been in custody since August 2025 and that the manhunt is now focused on Gibson County. Deputies are coordinating with neighboring sheriff’s offices and state troopers as they chase down leads.
Samples has a long criminal history and is no stranger to escape headlines. He was previously reported to have broken out of custody in 2020 before being recaptured, local reporting shows. WBBJ documented that earlier breakout, which ended with his capture in Trenton after a multi-agency effort. That past escape appears to be shaping how officials are handling the current search.
Search and investigation
Deputies, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and other agencies have set up checkpoints and are sweeping county roads, fields, and wooded tracts, officials told FOX13 Memphis. Crockett County investigators say they are combing through jail logs and reviewing staff activity to determine whether the escape was aided from the inside or outside.
How to report tips
The sheriff’s office is urging anyone with information about Samples or his whereabouts to call 911 immediately. For non-emergency tips, residents can contact the Crockett County Sheriff’s Office at 731-696-2104, as listed on the county’s official site. Crockett County maintains contact details for the sheriff’s office and other county services.
People in Gibson and Crockett counties are being asked to report any suspicious activity while the search continues. If something feels off, deputies want to hear about it.
