Federal Prison Escapee in Louisiana Arrested and Sentenced to Additional Prison Time

Monroe, Louisiana – A Louisiana prison escapee has been sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for escaping from federal custody.

On Thursday, February 2, 2023, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Terrell L. Kellum, 35, of Shreveport, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for escaping from federal custody.

Kellum pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm in U.S. District Court in 2016 and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison. He was transferred in December 2019 to a residential halfway house in Monroe to complete his federal sentence after serving the majority of his time with the Bureau of Prisons. Kellum signed and agreed to the Community Based Program Agreement with the Bureau of Prisons, which subjected him to certain rules and supervision while at the halfway house.

Kellum left the halfway house around 10:00 a.m. on March 10, 2020, and informed the staff that he was going to work. Officers from the Monroe Police Department contacted staff at the halfway house at 10:27 a.m., wanting to question Kellum about illegal check cashing activity. Officers discovered that Kellum did not show up for work that day, nor did he return to the halfway house, and he was placed on the run. The United States Marshals Service searched the area for Kellum but was unsuccessful. Kellum was arrested in Tarrant County, Texas, in August 2022, and was returned to federal custody.

The US Marshals Service and the Monroe Police Department investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan.