SC jail conducting internal probe after escape

CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Horry County officials are conducting an internal investigation into how an inmate was able to switch identification with another prisoner and walk out of a county jail.

The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports (http://bit.ly/rQToqp ) that officials believe it was an error by someone at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center that allowed 37-year-old Charles Dwight Ransom to walk out of jail on Monday.

Detention center director Tom Fox says two officers at the jail have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Investigators say Ransom switched his ID armband with Nathaniel Martinez, who had posted bond. Martinez and Ransom were arrested together on drug charges earlier this month. Martinez now faces additional charges.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force has joined the search for Ransom.

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Information from: The Sun News, http://www.thesunnews.com/