If a small minority see mandatory mask-wearing as a chance to shock or make a fashion statement, most still find donning protective facial coverings a somewhat unpleasant necessity.
But for one incarcerated opportunist in Chicago looking beyond sanitary or sartorial uses, Covid masks have also provided the perfect jailbreak disguise.
Jahquez Scott made his getaway from Cook County Jail on Saturday after putting on a face mask and disguising himself as a fellow prisoner who was about to be paroled, officials said.
The 21-year-old allegedly promised Quintin Henderson $1,000 in exchange for the latter’s identity to secure release, according to Cook County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sophia Ansari.
Scott had been arrested just the previous day on a weapons charge while on parole for aggravated battery of a police officer.
The alleged plot was finalized on Saturday evening in a receiving tunnel used by the jail for processing new admissions and releases.
A surveillance camera captured the men interacting in the tunnel, The Chicago Tribune reported.
Henderson, 28, who was about to be released without bail in a drugs case, passed Scott his personal information. The two also swapped hooded sweatshirts, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said.
When guards called Henderson’s name to process the release, a masked and disguised Scott stepped forward instead. Scott fakely signed the other man’s release papers before freely exiting the jail.
The mask proved instrumental in Scott’s plan, allowing him to cover up distinctive face tattoos which would otherwise have revealed his identity.
Authorities realized a switch had occurred when Henderson later approached guards and claimed he had fallen asleep and was wondering whether his name had already been called.
After his arrest, Henderson told investigators Scott had promised him $1,000 in return for a “favor,” Murphy said.
Henderson faces charges of aiding and abetting the escape of a felon, and is being held on a $25,000 bond. He is due to return to court on May 20.
An arrest warrant was issued for Scott on Monday, but he remained at large yesterday.
The Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal investigation into what they describe as an “extremely rare” incident, spokesperson Ansari said.