FAYETTE — Authorities are searching for a Jefferson County inmate who apparently walked away from the Jefferson County Community Work Center Saturday morning.

Melvin Toney, 32, was last seen wearing Mississippi Department of Corrections-issued green and white striped pants and a white shirt with “MDOC Convict” printed on back.

Toney — who is serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence for a cocaine possession conviction in Marion County — reportedly left the Fayette facility at approximately 6 a.m.

Toney is described as being a black male of medium build, 5 feet, 11-inches tall and weighing 280 pounds. He has brown eyes and is described as having black hair, though his MDOC mugshot shows him with a shaved head.

Toney was scheduled for release Jan. 12, 2014.

Anyone with information about Toney’s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement or the MDOC at 662-745-6611.