Former escaped convict serving more time after escaping again

PORT ST. JOE, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A man already serving time in prison is now expected to serve another sentence after escaping prison twice.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, 31-year-old Rex Aaron Veasey had escaped in Oct. 2020 by scaling two fences in the detention facility’s recreational yard that he resided at.

Officials say he was caught hours later by Bay County Sheriff’s Office from tips they received. Veasey was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest.

In another incident on Sep. 7, Veasey and another inmate reportedly beat a correctional officer, dragged him into their cell, and locked him inside.

Gulf County Chief Prosecutor Tracy Smith presented evidence that Veasey and the other inmate then made their way into the jail kitchen, pulled the AC unit off the wall, and escaped through a hole they made.

Through the help of multiple agencies, tips, drones, helicopters, and tracking dogs, Veasey and the second inmate were captured in Franklin County about 10 hours after his escape.

On Friday, Circuit Court Judge Devin Collier accepted the defendant’s plea to principal to escape and principal battery on a law enforcement officer and was sentenced to serve another 15-year sentence consecutively.

Veasey’s original arrest was for sexual battery, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault.