The case against a Chilton County male who escaped custody on Feb. 9 will head to a grand jury.

Shayne Allyn Varden, 25, appeared in court Feb. 23 for his preliminary hearing against Chilton County District Judge Rhonda J. Hardesty.

Court records indicate Varden waived his case to a grand jury.

The grand jury in Chilton County meets twice a year, once in August and once in February.

Varden is facing multiple charges including possession of a controlled substance, carrying a pistol without a license, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm, illegal possession of prescription drugs and escape third degree.

On Feb. 9, Varden escaped the back of a Chilton County Sheriff’s patrol car.

Assistant Chief Deputy Shane Mayfield with the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office said authorities responded to a disturbance call where they encountered Varden, who was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Deputies handcuffed Varden and placed him in the back of a patrol car, and went to deal with the rest of the individuals involved in the incident.

When deputies returned to the vehicle, they found Varden had escaped.

Authorities are still unsure how Varden was able to escape out of the vehicle.

Varden was not armed at the time of his arrest.

According to a copy of the arrest report, Varden had handcuffs on with his hands behind his back and was placed in the back seat of a patrol car, and advised of his charges.

After being away from the patrol car for 15 minutes, the deputy returned to the vehicle to find that Varden had escaped.

Deputies searched around County Road 254 after his escape on Feb. 9 but were unsuccessful in locating him.

Authorities later located Varden hiding under a sleeping bag at his girlfriend’s house on Feb. 13.

Varden was arrested on Feb. 13 and released from jail on Feb. 18 on an $18,000 bond, according to court records.

It is unclear when Varden’s case will be presented to the grand jury.