Three inmates of a southwest Kansas jail are back in custody after beating a guard, stealing his keys and making a brief escape.

Other inmates at the Meade County jail helped the guard after he was beaten, stomped and kicked around 10 p.m. Wednesday. The guard was taken to a hospital in Wichita.

The sheriff says one inmate was arrested north of the town of Meade. Another was picked up after a short chase farther north.

The third was captured after a chase on U.S. 54 that ended when he drove off the highway and hit railroad tracks. He was taken into custody in Bucklin, about 40 miles west of Meade.