Skinny Inmate Escapes Through Hole in Fence

Authorities say hole so small 99 percent of inmates wouldn't fit through

A 132-pound prisoner in Oregon escaped through a hole in a fence Thursday that "99 percent of inmates" wouldn't have been able to fit through, according to Klamath County authorities.

Sheriff Tim Evinger told The Herald and News that 25-year-old Kenneth Robert Banes was in prison on a parole violation and escaped while on work detail early Thursday. The 5'9" prisoner was being escorted into a jail yard to dump garbage and reportedly ran away from officers through a hole in a fence.

Authorities said it was the first successful escape from the prison since 1989.

Banes was still at large Thursday, while his mother and another woman were arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting and hindering prosecution, The Herald and News reported.

Despite his slender frame, Banes earned the nickname "Frito bandit" after stealing several Frito Lays delivery trucks in 2006, according to the paper.

Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger said the prison will conduct a review of the area to ensure another escape doesn't occur again.

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