Sergeant Jim Pembry was one of the officers, along with Officer Boyle, in charge with guarding Dr Hannibal Lecter while in custody in Memphis. Both officers had their routine in dealing with Lecter. One evening, while bringing Lecter an evening meal, they handcuffed him to his bars. Unbeknownst to them, Lecter had an improvised handcuff key, which he used to free himself. Lecter attacked both men. Pembry was bitten by Lecter and blinded by his own mace, before having his head beaten against the bars. Lecter had handcuffed Boyle to a table leg and beat him to death.
Later that evening, shots were fired. When the SWAT team arrived in lecter's room, they found Boyle strung up on the bars and Pembry badly injured but alive. Medical assistance was given to Pembry. While in the lift, blood starting dripping from the roof. The SWAT team investigated and found Lecter on the roof, covered in blood, with a gun by his side. When they checked the body, they actually found it was Officer Pembry, his face had been removed. Lecter had escaped by disguising himself as Pembry, using his face as a mask. Lecter killed the ambulance men and a tourist and vanished.
It is stated that Officer Pembry is 50 years old in the ambulance scene.