KBI called in to help investigate Marshall County jail escape

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office following the jail escape Saturday of two inmates from the Marshall County Jail in Marysville.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff’s office requested help from the KBI in investigating the escape.

According to a KBI press release issued on Sunday, two inmates lit a fire in a Marshall County jail cell shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday, causing smoke to fill the jail. The inmates were Jeffrey S. Guenther, 46, and Matson Z. Hatfield, 30, who then forced their way through the jail, obtained two shotguns and left the jail and ran into the sheriff’s office parking lot.

Guenther fled in a county employee’s tan 2004 Dodge Ram pickup which was stolen at gunpoint. A Marysville police officer fired at Guenther in the fleeting truck. Shots were fired at a Marysville Fire Department truck.

Hatfield reportedly fled on foot to a nearby residence and fired shots at a man standing in front of the house. A short time lately, he surrendered to a Marysville police officer.

Guenther fled in the pickup truck and headed north on Highway 77 across the Kansas state line into Nebraska. Marysville police followed until Guenther rolled the stolen truck in rural Gage County, Neb., where he was captured. The Nebraska State Police investigated the accident scene.

No injuries were reported during the escape or events afterward. The remaining Marshall County Jail inmates were transferred to the Washington County Jail.

Formal charges have yet to be filed. The investigation is ongoing.

Law enforcement agencies who helped respond were the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, the Marysville Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

This story was originally published October 15, 2017 at 6:11 PM with the headline "KBI called in to help investigate Marshall County jail escape."