A former inmate at the Lincoln County jail is back in a cell in Brookhaven after making a quiet getaway in Pascagoula, authorities said.

Matthew P. Rutledge, 30, of 299 17^th St., San Diego, California, had been charged with burglary in Lincoln County and was sentenced six or seven months ago, Sheriff Steve Rushing said.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections sent Rutledge to the Pascagoula Restitution Center in Jackson County, where inmates — called residents — work to make payments to crime victims as well as pay for room and board and court fees. Residents must be first-time, minimal risk offenders and must also serve a minimum of 40 hours of free community service.

Rushing said Rutledge walked away from his job a “couple of weeks ago” and law enforcement officers have been searching for him.

They found him in Arizona, and brought him back to Lincoln County since that’s where his initial sentencing was held, Rushing said.

Rutledge will likely face charges in Jackson County for failure to return to the restitution center, the sheriff said.

Rushing said he wouldn’t classify Rutledge as an escapee since he didn’t actually escape a cell. “He just didn’t return,” Rushing said.