Jason S. Hoover only had 160 days left on his sentence when he ran.
Hoover, 31, was part of the Alachua County Work Release Program, which allows minimum-security inmates to remain employed while serving time. He checked out of the work release center at 9:07 p.m. on Feb. 8.
He was supposed to work the night shift at the Burger King on Southwest Archer Road, but he didn’t show up. He was supposed to check in again at the work release center at 9 a.m. the next day, but he didn’t return.
Hoover, who was sentenced on Dec. 20 for fraud and cocaine possession, was scheduled for release July 17. Now, he faces up to 15 years in prison for escape — a second-degree felony.
Hoover was caught on March 5 when Tampa Police found him on the street and picked him up on a warrant. He was booked at the Hillsborough County Jail and, on Tuesday, driven back to Alachua County, where he was held Wednesday in lieu of a $100,000 bond.
Contact Tyler Jett at tjett@alligator.org.
