A man who escaped from the Hardin County Detention Center has been captured in northern Kentucky.
Tony Stephens, 36, of Covington, was captured by the Covington Police Department on Christmas Eve. He is currently lodged in the Kenton County Detention Center.
Hardin County Jailer Josh Lindblom told news outlets that Stephens stole keys at the facility’s minimum security substance abuse program on South Mulberry Street in Elizabethtown on the night of December 17. He unlocked a door and walked out of the facility before stealing an unmarked Hardin County Detention Center vehicle.
The vehicle was recovered on December 21, Lindblom told The News-Enterprise.
In addition to second-degree escape, Stephens has been charged with theft by unlawful taking (automobile).
According to the Kentucky Department of Corrections, Stephens, a state inmate, was convicted in Kenton County in May 2023 for possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and in Campbell County in June 2023 for theft by unlawful taking. He began serving his sentence at the Hardin County Detention Center on September 27, 2023.
Prior to his escape, he would have been first eligible for parole in November 2024.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
