Ky. Rev. Stat. » Chapter 520
Kentucky Revised Statutes

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 520.020 (2026)

Escape in the first degree

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section KY-LRCapps.legislature.ky.gov JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

(1) A person is guilty of escape in the first degree when he escapes from custody or a detention facility by the use of force or threat of force against another person. (2) Escape in the first degree is a Class C felony. Effective: January 1, 1975 History: Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 170, effective January 1, 1975.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 15 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1975–2023 · leading case: United States v. Watson, 423 U.S. 411 (1975).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
United States v. Watson, 423 U.S. 411 (1975). · cites it 2× “Ky. Rev. Stat. § 520.020 (1975) (escape); § 516.”
United States v. Lancaster, 501 F.3d 673 (6th Cir. 2007). · cites it 2× “” Ky.Rev.Stat. § 520.020 (2006). Kentucky’s second-degree escape statute, on the other hand, provides that “[a] person is guilty of escape in the second degree when he escapes from a detention facility or, being charged with or convicted of a felony, he escapes from custody.”
Thompson v. Commonwealth, 862 S.W.2d 871 (Ky. 1993). · cites it 2× “KRS 520.020(1) defines escape in the first degree as an escape "from custody or a detention facility by the use of force or threat of force against another person.”
United States v. Lee, 586 F.3d 859 (11th Cir. 2009). “The Kentucky statute under which Ford had been convicted differentiates between first-degree escape, which covers “escapes from custody or a detention facility by the use of force or threat of force against another person,” Ky.Rev.Stat. § 520.020(1), and second-degree escape,…”
Murray v. Commonwealth, 399 S.W.3d 398 (Ky. 2013). “020(2) as an offense “established by proof of the same or less than all the facts required to establish the commission of the offense charged,” ‘'consisting] of an attempt to commit the offense charged or to commit an offense otherwise included therein,” "differing] from the…”
Melson v. Commonwealth, 772 S.W.2d 631 (Ky. 1989). · cites it 2× “Thus, if the case were remanded for sentencing, the convictions would be final and admissible, making this an exercise in futility. Also, each of the appellants had sufficient admissible prior convictions to justify a persistent felony offender instruction.”
United States v. Howard, 216 F. App'x 463 (6th Cir. 2007). “” Ky.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 520.020. Second-degree escape occurs when a person “escapes from a detention facility or, being charged with or convicted of a felony, he escapes from custody.”
Murrell v. Kentucky Parole Bd., 531 S.W.3d 503 (Ky. Ct. App. 2017). “…as Murrell is not currently incarcerated, ALL CONCUR. . Kentucky Revised Statutes ("KRS”) 515.020. . KRS 508.025. . KRS 520.020. . KRS 508.070.”
Cope v. Commonwealth, 645 S.W.2d 703 (Ky. 1983). “KRS 520.020(1) prohibits “escape from a detention facility.”
McClain v. Commonwealth, 607 S.W.2d 421 (Ky. 1980). “KRS 520.020. It is obvious that the use of force is an element common to both offenses.”
United States v. Benji Stout, 706 F.3d 680 (6th Cir. 2013). · cites it 2× “” Ky. Rev. Stat. § 520.020 (2012). This was not, however, the crime of Stout’s conviction.”
United States v. Jeffrey Ford (6th Cir. 2009). · cites it 2× “Yet he was convicted of second-degree escape, a broadly worded offense that covers any other “escape[] from a detention facility” or “escape[] from custody” by an individual “charged with or convicted of a felony.” Id.”
Show all 15 citing cases →
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 520.020(1) — 4 cases
Thompson v. Commonwealth, 862 S.W.2d 871 (Ky. 1993). “KRS 520.020(1) defines escape in the first degree as an escape "from custody or a detention facility by the use of force or threat of force against another person.”
United States v. Lee, 586 F.3d 859 (11th Cir. 2009). “The Kentucky statute under which Ford had been convicted differentiates between first-degree escape, which covers “escapes from custody or a detention facility by the use of force or threat of force against another person,” Ky.Rev.Stat. § 520.020(1), and second-degree escape,…”
Cope v. Commonwealth, 645 S.W.2d 703 (Ky. 1983). “KRS 520.020(1) prohibits “escape from a detention facility.”
United States v. Jeffrey Ford (6th Cir. 2009). “Yet he was convicted of second-degree escape, a broadly worded offense that covers any other “escape[] from a detention facility” or “escape[] from custody” by an individual “charged with or convicted of a felony.” Id.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 520.020(8) — 1 case
Sheard v. Novo Nordisk Inc. (W.D. Ky. 2022).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.