New pieces of Nashville jailbreak scheme discovered
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Photo: courtesy of Davidson County Sheriff's Office
The man convicted for hiding guns and blades in the walls of the downtown jail while it was being built also stashed a fake correction officer's uniform and shoes with handcuff keys in the soles, the Davidson County Sheriff's Office announced Monday.
- Employees found the latest items Friday in the ductwork of an unsecured part of the jail.
Why it matters: Sheriff Daron Hall said the new discoveries "solidify our theory of his evil plan to create mayhem and massive loss of life."
Catch up quick: Authorities say Alex Friedmann, 54, planted weapons in the jail in 2019 as part of plans for a violent jailbreak. Investigators said Friedmann, a prison reform advocate, gained access to the new downtown jail by posing as a construction worker.
- Friedmann, whose attorneys acknowledged he hid the items, was convicted on a felony vandalism charge last year and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The latest: Hall said in a statement that in 2021, while the court case was underway, he became aware Friedmann had hidden other "non-lethal" items at the jail. Staff with the sheriff's office spent "endless hours" searching, with the effort continuing after Friedmann's conviction, Hall's office said.
Zoom in: Friedmann was caught on video spending long periods in the mechanical room where the latest items were found, according to the sheriff's office. It had been searched multiple times, but staff revisited the area and discovered "irregularities in the ductwork sheet metal."
- They found the makeshift uniform, which included a black T-shirt with a Davidson County Sheriff’s Office patch, and $100 cash.
- A spokesperson tells Axios the new items were hidden in a part of the jail inmates don't have access to.
What he's saying: Hall said the new discovery, which is believed to be the final piece of Friedmann's plan, brings closure to the case.
- "It's difficult to describe how dedicated our employees have been to solving the final mystery of this bizarre and frightening crime," Hall said.