Sheriff Lectures Reporters After Escape Attempt

Apparently the media was browsing court records and noticed several inmates were recently charged with an escape attempt. The media then requested public records (FOIA) and it seems the sheriff was slow to provide the information.

One of the inmates charged with attempted escape, Sayvion Jones was the subject of a Police Ping article back in June. 

Inmates Involved :

Trevon Dinte Avery DOB Nov 10, 1999

Daniel Dquan Bowles DOB Jul 07, 1990

Jordon Lee Anthony Blue DOB: Aug 12, 2002

Terrel Darius Baskert DOB Mar 15, 2004

Sayvion Keith Jones DOB  Nov 03, 2006 

Darius Terrel Baskert DOB  Mar 15, 2004

Eric Tyrone Davis DOB Oct 05, 1988

Antonio Dante Hopes Sr DOB Jul 30, 1988 

The media then decided to publish the story they had discovered anyway without any input from the sheriff who appeared visibly upset with the article about the escape attempt and quickly set up a press conference complete with images of the cell block and weapons the deputies found inside.

The cell doors the inmates were able to break out of operate electronically and are apparently easy to breach however only lead to the day room area which requires an actual key exit it. The seven inmates accomplished nothing except for adding more felony charges.

Back in 2023, two inmates from the N.N. city jail were found at an IHOP restaurant eating breakfast after they had used a tooth brush to break through a brick wall. The staff failed to notice what seemly took an extensive amount of time to accomplish.

2023 Newport News City Jail Escape

The area the inmates were in are for high risk and/or major felony charges. Most non violent misdemeanors inmates are housed in a dorm type settings and never confined to a traditional cell as described in the images presented by Gabe Morgan in the press conference.

Back in May of 2025, we covered the arrest of a local car wash owner who sold his business to go work at a childrens clinic. Robert Dessoffy was charged with 4 felony counts related to having relations with a minor under the age of 13.

Police Ping visited the jail Robert was being held at looking for answers regarding a tip we had received claiming Mr Dessoffy was attacked while in custody at the jail and in the hospital for several days.

Read more about that story which includes the video we took at the jail. We were also harassed for taking pictures while standing outside on the public sidewalk. https://policeping.com/rich-local-car-wash-owner-accused-of-sex-crimes-against-own-kid-13-yo-newport-news-va

That tip along with inmate logs, moles we have in the jail and the resistance the deputies gave us when asking questions led us to believe the tip could likely true. We also attempted to conduct a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) but were turned down. 

The Newport News Police Department and city just happen to be in the middle of a huge law suite and scandal after they refuse to provide records regarding a man that was shot in 2024 and lay unattended for over 30 minutes and later succumbed to his injuries after he was finally taken to a hospital.  Newport News Hides Shooting DOCs