Escaped Florida inmates had a contraband cellphone in prison

Bay County Sheriff's Office

Charles Walker, left, and Joseph Jenkins escaped from Franklin Correctional Institution in Carabelle, Fla., on falsified paperwork, but were captured on Oct. 19.

By Elizabeth Chuck, Staff Writer, NBC News

Two convicted killers who escaped from a Florida prison using falsified documents had access to a contraband cellphone behind bars, something that may provide a clue as to who helped secure their release.

Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker, both 34, were mistakenly freed from the Franklin Correctional Institution in Carabelle, Fla., on Sept. 27 and Oct. 8, respectively, after bogus papers bearing the signatures of a judge and members of the State Attorney's Office got through the Florida Department of Corrections and the Orange County Clerk of Courts.

Once the mistakes were realized, their early releases prompted a massive manhunt, which ended on Oct. 19 when the two men were arrested at the Coconut Grove Motor Inn in Panama City, Fla.

A cellphone and iPad were discovered in the motel room that the men were arrested in, Florida Department of Law Enforcement revealed this week, and at least one also had access to a second, contraband cellphone in prison before they escaped.

"One inmate was found with a contraband cell phone, and we know he used the cellphone while he was in prison, and we are examining evidence on that cellphone," Samantha Andrews, spokeswoman for Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said. "It belonged to an inmate, but we are not discussing which one. Everything is still part of the active investigation."

The phone contained "texts and some other evidence," she said, but wouldn't go into detail.

"We definitely are still reviewing evidence, and hopefully, arrests are forthcoming," she said.

It's unclear how the contraband phone got behind bars. Florida Department of Corrections deputy communications director Misty Cash said the investigation was ongoing.

The prison breakout prompted Department of Corrections Secretary Michael Crews to implement a new policy requiring that any inmate's early release be confirmed by the sentencing judge, an additional security step.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Attorney General's Office are offering up to $20,000 for tips that lead to an arrest.