Escaped Lake City inmate caught after cutting ankle monitor, fleeing work site

A work release inmate who cut off his ankle monitor and stole a bicycle to escape a Lake City job site was back in custody Thursday morning, less than 20 hours after he ran off, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said.Jacob Wermann, 41, walked away from an industrial business off SE Highway 100 on Wednesday around 5:00 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Before fleeing, he cut off his ankle monitor and stole a co-worker’s bicycle. Deputies searched the area but did not find him, and a be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) was issued.Thursday morning, detectives got a tip on Wermann’s possible location and headed to the area of NW Ernest Green Glen, off U.S. Highway 441 North. When they arrived, they learned he had just ducked into the woods to hide, deputies said.Deputies set up a perimeter. Wermann was arrested on NW Jamie Glen following a brief chase. Wermann had been housed at the Bridges of Lake City work release center after an April conviction for fleeing and eluding law enforcement. H