WBRZ - Baton Rouge

A Terrebonne Parish inmate working as a mechanic in the jail's work-release program stole a car and drove more than 60 miles in an effort to see his mother on Mother's Day.

Authorities said Monday that 50-year-old Richard Ford escaped about 11:30 a.m. Friday. He was captured about four hours later by a St. Bernard Parish sheriff's deputy who spotted the 2005 Lincoln that was reported stolen. He was booked on charges of escape, auto theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a .25-caliber semiautomatic firearm and having an open beer in the car.

Ford, who is serving a four-year sentence for simple robbery, was set for release in June 2012. Paul Perkins, owner of Louisiana Workforce, which runs the work-release program, says Ford's participation has been revoked and he can expect about six months to be added to his sentence for the escape.