WOODBINE, Ga. -- A Camden County inmate was recently arrested as he was trying to sneak back into jail.

Sheriff Tommy Gregory said Saturday that Harry Jackson, 25, of St. Marys had broken out of the jail and strolled to a nearby convenience store, where he broke in and stole more than a dozen packs of cigarettes.

The sheriff said his new no-smoking policy at the jail prompted Jackson to break out of jail to steal the cigarettes.

He said a group of inmates threatened Jackson to bring them cigarettes.

"They said, 'If you don't find those cigarettes, don't come back empty-handed,'" Gregory said. "Never in my 26 years of law enforcement have I ever seen an inmate trying to break into jail."

The sheriff said Jackson used a metal wire from a broom handle to unlock the jail door. The inmate then ran down the road to a Snappy Food convenience store, where surveillance cameras caught him on tape breaking down the front door and taking cigarettes from behind the counter.

"We didn't even know he was an inmate, and then when we were watching the videos one of the officers said that's the guy missing from the prison," said store clerk Vipur Ray.

Gregory said authorities at first thought they had separate incidents -- a jailbreak and a burglary.

However, with 14 packs of cigarettes in his laundry bag Jackson tried to break back into the jail by hopping over a fence. Authorities said he saw jailers looking for him and hopped back over the fence.

Jackson was apprehended a short time later about a block away from the jail.

"This is a smoke-free facility. I guess desperate people will desperate things," Gregory.

On Monday morning, welders put new locks on all of the jail doors.

Jackson was being held on charges of forgery, identity fraud, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, obstruction of an officer and traffic violations. He'll now face an escape charge.