A former Alabama inmate who was among the 369 prisoners the state released late last month is back behind bars after he was jailed Tuesday for allegedly removing his ankle monitor, authorities said.

A search for Ronnie Lynn Painter, 47, of Townsley, that involved planes with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office that flew above Highway 269 and Highway 69 to look for him, was launched after authorities learned he removed his ankle bracelet, the sheriff’s office said.

Two citizens in the west Jasper area spotted Painter, who was originally imprisoned on a third-degree robbery charge.

State probation officers and sheriff’s deputies took Painter into custody before probation officials took him to the Walker County Jail, where he is being held on a parole violation.

The Jan. 31 release of the 369 Alabama inmates puts the early-release inmates under the supervision of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles and stems from a bill passed by the state legislature in 2021.

That bill amended a law passed as part of prison reform efforts in 2015.