Escaped prisoner from Fort Madison apprehended in Illinois

HENRY COUNTY, Ill. - An escaped prisoner from the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison was apprehended south of Geneseo, IL approximately five hours after he was discovered missing.

Justin Kestner, who is serving a 10-year sentence on counts of first-degree theft, was discovered missing at 4:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 5, according to corrections officials. He was apprehended the same day at 9:55 a.m. by the Illinois State Police. Geneseo is a little more than 100 miles away from the penitentiary.

The facility operated under restricted movement while Kestner was missing, which means the facility was on lockdown for that time, said Rebecca Bowker, executive officer of the Iowa State Penitentiary.

Bowker said there have not been any escapes from the penitentiary since 2005, when two individuals escaped.

She said she had no details on how Kestner escaped.

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