He got a taste of freedom — and gave it back.

An inmate escaped from a Tennessee prison on Thursday night, then simply returned to the jail hours later, officials said.

Steven Ray Hamm, 45, fled from the Humphreys County Jail at about 8 p.m. on the Fourth of July, according to the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office

Hamm had been in prison for theft of property, burglary of a motor vehicle, and failure to pay child support.

The sheriff’s office said that Hamm returned to the jail at 3 a.m. — about seven hours after he fled the facility.

It was not clear on Friday how Hamm escaped custody.

The former escapee is likely to face additional charges for the jailbreak.