A Whitley County Detention Center inmate, who escaped from the facility Sunday evening, apparently did so around the same time as an incident where multiple detention center staff members were assaulted, according to a post on the detention center’s Facebook page.
Charles Blake Randle, 42, was last seen having fled into a wooded area near the detention center on foot. He is described as a 6’1” white male weighing approximately 190 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes, according to Kentucky State Police.
A coordinated search of the area is underway utilizing multiple law enforcement resources, including aviation and canine assets.
The incident was reported to law enforcement at approximately 10:50 p.m. on Sunday and officers from the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, Williamsburg Police Department, Corbin Police Department, Kentucky State Police and multiple other law enforcement agencies responded to the detention center.
Police say if you see Randle, you should not approach him but call the Whitley County 911 Dispatch immediately.
Reason for incarceration
Randle was incarcerated in the detention center on four counts of first-degree rape, one count of first-degree sexual abuse and four incest in connection with a March 14-15, 2025, incident. His bond was set at $250,000 cash.
An Oct. 19 pretrial conference has been scheduled in his case, but no trial date is currently scheduled.
The alleged incidents all involved the same juvenile.
Kentucky State Police Detective James Royal began investigating the case on March 24, 2025, after he was contacted by the Kentucky Department of Community-Based Services (DCBS) requesting help investigating a report of child sexual abuse.
Royal and the DCBS worker went to the girl’s school in a neighboring county to interview her where she disclosed Randle had allegedly raped her on multiple occasions, according to an affidavit for a search warrant.
“The victim reported that the abuse occurred at various locations within Williamsburg, Kentucky. She was able to provide detailed information regarding the nature of the abuse, as well as specific descriptions of the locations where the incidents took place,” Royal wrote in the arrest warrant.
