JACKSON - Several agencies are searching for an inmate who managed to escape a state prison in East Feliciana Parish on Thanksgiving Day. 

The Department of Corrections said Shwilliam Cheevis, 23, escaped from Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson sometime Thursday morning. 

Cheevis is described as being 5' 7" tall and weighing 138 pounds.  He was serving time for charges of aggravated second-degree battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

Agencies involved in the manhunt include Dixon Correctional Institute staff and Chase Team, Louisiana State Penitentiary Chase Team, East and West Feliciana Parish Sheriffs Offices, and the U.S. Marshals.

On Saturday the Department of Corrections said Cheevis is not believed to be in the Baton Rouge area and authorities are "focusing regionally for the inmate."

WBRZ asked for clarification and a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said the manhunt is in the "whole southern region," but not focusing on the capital area any longer. 

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact officials at 225-634-6000.