Man charged with murder escapes from Macoupin County Jail, sheriff says
An East Alton man who was facing a murder charge escaped from the Macoupin County Jail on Easter night and is still on the lam, authorities said Monday.
William D. Kavanaugh is the escapee, the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“Kavanaugh is considered dangerous. Do not approach him,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Kavanaugh and a Granite City woman are accused of going to a home in Woodburn on New Year’s Eve in 2015 when a man was shot to death. The murder charges were announced last summer.
Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl said in his memory this is the first time someone has escaped from the county jail since this building opened 31 years ago.
Kahl said immediate changes have been made to prevent someone escaping the way Kavanaugh did.
Kavanaugh had been held in the Macoupin County Jail since last summer.
Kavanaugh, 35, is described as a white male, 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, with a medium build, red hair and brown eyes. His last known address is 117 Henry St. in East Alton.
Kavanaugh “gained access to a closet, crawled through the ceiling and out a second-story window,” around 10 p.m. Sunday, the sheriff’s office said.
“Outside video shows Kavanaugh on foot heading southbound,” the new release said.
Investigators believe Kavanaugh received help from another inmate.
Anyone who has information about Kavanaugh is urged to call the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office at 217-854-3135 or your local police department.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 5:44 PM.
