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A LaGrange man escaped police custody at the Troup County Jail Thursday night before being re-apprehended about an hour later.

Samuel Fannin, 22, of LaGrange, had been arrested by the LaGrange Police Department for automobile theft and possession of methamphetamine, LPD Sgt. Robert Kirby said.

According to Kirby, Fannin was taken to jail in a police car and had been handcuffed from behind. During the car ride, Fannin managed to move his arms under his body to bring the handcuffs to the front of his body.

When officers brought Fannin into the Troup County Sheriff’s Office building, Fannin “slipped away,” Kirby said. Police did pursue Fannin on foot but Fannin was “a little faster, a young guy,” Kirby said.

Adding to the confusion was the fact that Fannin was brought to jail around 5 p.m. when many TCSO employees were on their way out the door to go home, Kirby said, describing it as a “perfect storm where all those things worked against us.”

TCSO and LPD set up a perimeter around the woods into which Fannin ran and deployed a K-9 unit, Kirby said. Eventually, Fannin came out of the woods and surrendered immediately after an officer spotted him around 6:15 p.m. The K-9 unit did not make contact with Fannin while he was hiding.

A TCSO Facebook post misidentified Fannin as Isaiah Fannin. Isaiah Fannin was also arrested for possession of methamphetamine and a misdemeanor, failure to appear, on Thursday.

Samuel Fannin was booked Nov. 6 and is currently in jail and eligible for bond, which has been set at $10,000.