Inmate Facing Longer Stay After Injuring Matron, Attempting To Escape

A police K9 helped track down an escaped inmate in Brookville on Tuesday.

(Brookville, Ind.) - A Franklin County inmate momentarily escaped after injuring the jail matron Tuesday.

Here’s what went down, according to a news release from Sheriff Ken Murphy.

Jennifer Broering, 42, of Laurel, was being escorted from the Franklin County courthouse to the nearby jail after her initial court hearing for Maintaining a Common Nuisance (level 6 felony) and Possession of Marijuana (class B misdemeanor). Broering struggled with the jail matron, knocking her to the ground. The matron was seriously injured in the fall.

Broering fled on foot.

Officers with the sheriff’s department, Brookville Police Department, and Indiana State Police set up a perimeter in the area. A K-9 from the Indiana State Police was deployed. 

The escaped inmate situation forced a local school to go on lockdown.

After about half an hour of searching, the K9 helped track Broering to an abandoned shed where she was taken back into custody.

Within minutes of deployment, Broering was apprehended in an abandoned wooden shed where she had been hiding.

“This was a great team effort by all three agencies in making the quick apprehension.  We would also like to wish a speedy recovery to our matron,” said Murphy.

The matron is expected to recover from her injury. She was taken to the Margaret Mary Health Center in Brookville for treatment.

Broering was also briefly hospitalized as she was injured by the police K9 during the apprehension.

Her stay behind bars may be for much longer than before Tuesday’s escape attempt. Broering is facing a new list of charges, including Aggravated Battery (level 3 felony), Escape Resulting in Bodily Injury (level 4 felony), Battery on Law Enforcement (level 5 felony), and Resisting Law Enforcement (level 6 felony). If convicted, she could face up to 16 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

This is not the first time Broering has made local news headlines for the wrong reason. In November 2017, she was arrested after police discovered meth, heroin, and marijuana in her home in Laurel.

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