Florida woman finds escaped Orlando prison inmate hiding in her car: police

Escaped inmate found hiding in woman's car

An escaped Orlando inmate was found inside a woman's car in Lady Lake after he escaped last week while on work release.

LADY LAKE, Fla. - Lady Lake Police said Jesse James Hall escaped from a prison in Orlando, last week. They said he finally turned up in a woman's driveway in Lake County, giving her the shock of her life. Bodycam video showed Lady Lake Police confront Hall on Carriage Lane.

He didn’t get far before officers slapped the handcuffs on him.

Officers said at first Hall told them his name was "Jesse Hillman," but fingerprints gave him away. Police Chief Steve Hunt said Hall had been on the run since last Wednesday. "Previously, he'd been sentenced for some grand thefts and felony drug charges and was out on a work release within the prison system in Orlando. He left that program and was considered an escaped prisoner."

Early Sunday morning, a woman on Carriage Lane heard her car alarm going off and went outside to investigate.

Police say when she opened her BMW to check, she found Hall sitting inside. "He grabbed her arm, she was able to run out of the car and retreat to her house, and she called 911," Hunt said.

Hall was booked into the Lake County jail on charges of burglary, battery, and resisting arrest. Hunt said officers arrived three minutes later and found Hall walking around outside. The report says Hall claimed he was in the area visiting a woman he knew. "He was in the area visiting an acquaintance," Hunt said, "so we don't know what his motives were with this lady's car."