A search is underway for an inmate who escaped from the Berwick Police Department jail on Wednesday, following an altercation that involved throwing a chemical substance at an officer.
Cecil Michael Stratton escaped from the jail at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, during lockdown procedures, according to police. While jailers were securing inmates, a brief struggle occurred between Stratton and officers. During the altercation, a chemical substance was thrown into an officer's face, allowing him and another inmate to flee the jail.
The other inmate was apprehended a short time later, but Stratton remains at large. Authorities say he is known to have violent tendencies and has previously escaped from a prison facility in North Louisiana. People are warned not to approach him if seen.
Anyone with information on Stratton's whereabouts is asked to contact the Berwick Police Department at (985) 384-7710 or dial 911.
