Cape County inmate sustains minor injuries in fall from moving vehicle

A Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office inmate being transported to a facility to bond out of jail suffered minor injuries Wednesday, April 26, when she attempted to exit the moving vehicle.

According to information provided by the department, a deputy was transporting Taylor Wessell, 21, northbound on Interstate 55 when she unbuckled a four-point restraint, unlocked and opened the door and attempted to jump out. Wessell was in the front passenger seat of the vehicle.

"Our deputy immediately began to slow down and simultaneously grab the back collar of the inmate's clothes, attempting to prevent them from falling out of the moving vehicle. While slowing, the deputy's grip broke, and the inmate leapt from the moving vehicle," a statement says. "The deputy stopped; the inmate was lying in the roadway with apparent minor road rash-type injuries. An ambulance was called, and the inmate was taken back for medical treatment."

The statement says not all of the county's law enforcement vehicles have secure "cages" in their back seats, and the department's procedure when transporting inmates in such vehicles is to secure them in the front passenger seat.

The statement notes that Wessell -- arrested Monday, April 24, for alleged fourth-degree assault, second-degree property damage and stealing -- likely will not face a charge relating to the incident.

"This appears to have been a mental health issue, not at attempt to escape," the statement says.

Social media posts

Comments on a social media post to an online group say eyewitness accounts indicated a female inmate suffered significant injuries or perhaps died in the incident. Some comments suggested the person had died; others contended the person may simply have been lying on the ground.