In the 1980s, Florida prisoner and savant Mark DeFriest built a device that catapulted himself over the prison walls, escaping before being caught again. He has escaped 7 times on 13 attempts resulting in his original 4-year sentence becoming 104 years. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: “Jailed for Stealing Tools in 1980, ‘Prison Houdini’ Is Denied Release” — New York Times