A Cumberland County Jail inmate who failed to return from a work-release program Saturday night was back in custody Sunday afternoon, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

Mohamed Abukar, 31, did not return to the jail’s dorm-like Community Corrections Center at 11 p.m. Saturday as required after working at a fast food restaurant in Portland, said Chief Deputy Naldo Gagnon. On Sunday, Abukar met with a corrections deputy at a location they both knew to arrange his return, Gagnon said.

“He was having issues with the mother of his child,” Gagnon said in an email. “(It’s) too bad he got caught up with his emotions. If he let us know, we could have help(ed) him work it out. Our staff is very good at that.”

Abukar was convicted on charges of being a habitual offender with multiple driving offenses. He started his sentence on Dec. 9 and was scheduled to be released Aug. 16, Gagnon said.

“He is now in the main jail and loses all his good time that he has earned,” Gagnon said.

Abukar will be charged criminally for leaving the jail without permission, the chief deputy said.

Under the work-release program, inmates can go to work sites arranged by jail officials and hopefully keep the jobs when they complete their sentences, Gagnon said.

“We have several employers who are willing to work with an inmate to give them a chance,” Gagnon said.