SKOWHEGAN – A crumbling, antiquated jail was no match for a determined inmate Monday night who picked a lock, climbed a ladder into the Somerset County Jail attic, crawled out through the slats of a 100-year-old decorative cupola and jumped off a low roof to escape. It was 9:40 p.m. and 2 degrees outside and Randy Sargeant, 21, of Skowhegan, was wearing thin, navy blue, cotton jail clothes and sneakers.

Police are still hunting for Sargeant, who will be looking at an additional three to five years in jail for escape if captured and convicted.

Chief Deputy Ron Moody said Tuesday afternoon that Sargeant had been in the jail since Jan. 9, held for probation revocation, but was aware that future charges were likely to be lodged against him soon. Moody declined to elaborate on those charges.

About 9:40 p.m., a light on the jail control panel indicated an open door on the second floor, which housed Sargeant. “At the same time, it was noticed that someone had put something over our interior hallway cameras,” said the chief deputy.

Moody said Sargeant “jimmied the lock on a door leading to a cubbyhole, which contained a ladder leading to a trap door to the attic. He got into the attic, where the heating ducts are, and pulled off some boards and screens on the interior of the cupola. From there, he got out onto the roof and jumped from the front of the jail down to the ground.”

The drop at the front of the jail is 10 to 12 feet off the ground.

“We were right behind him,” said Moody, but Sargeant was not apprehended.

No one at the jail could remember the last time anyone had escaped from inside the facility. “It hasn’t happened since I’ve been here,” said Sheriff Barry DeLong, who was elected in 1995. “I can recall 10 years or so ago that someone walked away that was outside washing cars or something, but I cannot recall anyone escaping from inside the locked jail,” he said.

“We are very lucky this hasn’t happened before,” said Moody, “with the condition of this jail.” The state has identified safety and health violations at the facility and a special committee has been assessing a new jail for more than a year.

Moody said Sargeant is 6 feet tall, weighs 160 pounds, and has brown hair cut in a short, crewcut style, and hazel eyes.

DeLong said the lock that was damaged by the escapee is more than 20 years old and is no longer manufactured. It would cost $1,250 to retrofit and $3,500 to replace. “We put $4,000 in our budget for locks this year and the [Somerset County] Budget Committee cut it to $1,000,” he said.

The jail currently holds 85 inmates. It is licensed for 45. “They cut our food budget and here we are feeding nearly twice as many people for less money,” said DeLong. “Sometimes I think the Budget Committee set us up to fail.”