Woman In Hale County Jail Escape Apprehended
Ellory Kate Johnson, also known as Kate Nichols and Kate Strickland was apprehended today after she escaped from the Hale County Jail using a forged court order.
Johnson had been housed in the Hale County Jail when the sheriff’s office says Debra Alexander Nichols, identifying herself as Johnson's alleged mother, gave Hale County corrections officers what investigators say was a forged court order with a circuit judge’s name attached stating Johnson could be released.
Nichols has also been taken into custody according to Hale County Sheriff Micheal Hamilton. Johnson and Nichols now both face felony charges.
The 32-year-old Johnson has had several previous run-ins with the law in Tuscaloosa, including for practicing medicine without a license at a Tuscaloosa clinic in 2023.
Sheriff Hamilton says if an investigation reveals any other person, whether friend, family or jail staff assisted in Johnson's escape, they will be prosecuted “to the full extent.”
In Alabama, a person who assists a prisoner to escape typically faces Class C felony charges, which carry a sentence of 1 to 10 years in prison. If a jail employee assists in an inmates escape, they too can be charged with a Class C felony.
The sheriff’s office is currently conducting a thorough investigation, according to Sheriff Hamilton to review all contact Johnson had with people in side and outside the county jail.
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