Inmate breaks from work crew in city

A man with only four months left to serve made a dash for freedom Wednesday, July 19, when he jumped from an Albemarle County work crew truck at the corner of Avon Street and Elliott Avenue. Spokespeople for the County say this is the first escape incident since the 18-month-old program began, and it remains effective.
    “We have seen a lot of positive benefits, a lot of park enhancements that we would not have been able to afford, and we have not had an incident like this in the past,” says Lee Catlin, County spokesperson.
    The whole work crew was being brought back to the jail when Cortez Orlando Dade bolted. He stole clothes from a nearby clothes line and was captured within 30 minutes, Catlin says.
    Work crews are supervised by County parks and rec staff, who are instructed not to chase inmates. The County staff called for police assistance immediately, Catlin says.
    Inmates chosen for the work crew program are nonviolent, according to Col. Ronald Matthews, superintendent of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. They must be serving less than two years and get along well with other inmates.
    Dade, who was serving time for probation violation, has been transferred to the Virginia Department of Corrections. He may lose all of his “good time” acquired through work release and faces felony escape charges, which could land him several more years in prison. His girlfriend, Artina Michelle Cooper, has been charged with aiding his escape, and is being held at the regional jail.