PADUCAH, Ky.—Chad Toy’s escape from jail wasn’t what shocked his jailers; it was his plea to be let back in.

“When I rang the bell at the jail and told them who I was, they were surprised,” Toy told The Paducah (Ky.) Sun newspaper. “I guess they haven’t seen that before.” Toy, 21, was in the McCracken County Regional Jail in western Kentucky awaiting trial on charges stemming from a July home invasion. He’s also serving a four-year sentence for theft.

Officials said he escaped early Monday while on a cleanup detail in the lobby. He bolted after a guard unlocked the front doors to clean trash from a breezeway.

But Toy returned that afternoon, wet and covered with grime. He told authorities his sister had persuaded him to surrender because his family feared for his safety.