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Escaped Iowa State Penitentiary inmate captured in Henry County, Illinois

An inmate was captured in Henry County, Illinois, after he reportedly escaped from the Iowa State Penitentiary.

An Iowa State Penitentiary inmate who was found to have escaped overnight Sunday, July 5, 2015, was captured hours later in Henry County, Illinois.

The inmate, 25-year-old Justin Kestner was accounted for during a 1:30 a.m. count, but was discovered missing during the 4:45 a.m. count, according to a statement from the State of Iowa's Department of Corrections. The Illinois State Police were notified of the escape at 7:22 a.m.

As the search for Kestner was on, the Henry County Sheriff's Department in Illinois found an abandoned vehicle, said a statement from the Illinois State Police.  That vehicle was suspected to have been stolen by Kestner, police said.  Law enforcement searched the area and an Illinois State Trooper spotted Kestner at 9:52 a.m. walking on Illinois Route 82, a half mile south of I-80.

"Kestner fled into a corn field, then exited the corn field and was taken into custody," said the statement from the Illinois State Police.

A spokesperson from the Illinois State Police said Kestner was wearing a black and gold Iowa t-shirt and a dark blue shirt that was made into shorts when he was apprehended.

The arrest location south of Geneseo, Illinois is more than 100 miles away from the Fort Madison, Iowa facility.

Kestner was taken to the Henry County Jail, police said.

Kestner was serving a 10-year sentence for first degree theft out of Woodbury County.

An executive officer with the Iowa State Penitentiary told News 8 that they were notified of his arrest after 10 a.m.

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