( CNN ) -- Two men charged with murder and another being held on armed robbery charges escaped early Saturday from a rural Alabama county jail , a local sheriff said . The three were locked down together in a single cell around 2 a.m. ( 3 a.m . ET ) when one started screaming , saying another of them was very sick , Choctaw County Sheriff Tom Abate said . The jailer looked through a porthole , saw someone vomiting , then opened the cell door . When he did , the inmates jumped the jailer , stole his keys and cell phone , then fled on foot , according to Abate . Local authorities using tracking dogs tracked the escaped inmates about one-quarter mile away down State Highway 17 in Butler , Alabama , where Abate said they were either picked up or had a vehicle waiting for them . The two escapees who were being held on capital murder charges , for separate incidents , are 23-year-old Demarcus Woodward for allegedly fatally shooting a work release inmate and 32-year-old Gemayel Culbert for his involvement in the killing of two people at a private club in northern Choctaw County . The other escapee is Terrell Gordon , 23 , who is charged with armed robbery in connection with a convenience store theft . Alabama 's state Bureau of Investigation , U.S . Marshals from Mobile and local authorities all have roles in the manhunt . The jailer who these inmates allegedly choked was treated and released at an area hospital , Abate said Saturday morning . Choctaw County , with population of fewer than 14,000 , is in southwestern Alabama , bordering Mississippi . CNN 's Greg Botelho contributed to this report .
NEW : the Choctaw County Sheriff , Alabama . Marshals involved in the manhunt . one inmates are held in 3 cell ; 1 screams , says another is sick , sheriff says . The inmates jump a jailer , then fled on foot , State Bureau of Investigation adds . The jailer , who was allegedly choked , was treated at a nearby hospital , he says .