Nathan Turnbull

Authorities are pursuing an additional felony charge against an inmate that escaped the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility Wednesday morning.

A release from the Iowa Department of Corrections said the inmate, Nathan T. Turnbull, 28, escaped from work detail on grounds outside the perimeter fence of the facility while working in the garden. He was discovered missing around 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Turnbull is serving a 16-year sentence from Polk County for second-degree theft, two counts of prohibited acts, and failure to affix a tax stamp.

Officials said Turnbull was captured shortly after his escape when a member of the public noticed him dressed in prison clothes and notified police. Police brought him back to the facility after he was apprehended about a half mile away in a roadside ditch.