Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison Removes Inmates From Unit Where Escape Took Place

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Penitentiary has removed inmates from a lockdown unit where a maximum-security offender was able to escape his cell.

Penitentiary spokeswoman Rebecca Bowker said Tuesday that 12 offenders in the unit known as the A-pod have been transferred elsewhere in the prison complex.

Authorities are investigating how 25-year-old Justin Kestner escaped early Sunday from his cell on the unit, which features strict security measures and some of the most disruptive inmates in the state.

The Iowa Department of Corrections says Kestner removed screws from an access cover to an enclosed space that has the building’s pipes. He then was able to maneuver through the space, go through a vent and onto the building’s roof. Kestner used rope constructed from torn bed sheets to descend to an unfenced area.