By Nelson Oliveira
New York Daily News
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Wis. — A massive manhunt is underway in Wisconsin after two “dangerous” prisoners who were serving lengthy sentences for a series of violent crimes broke out of a maximum-security facility Thursday morning, authorities said.
The two men, both of whom have escaped custody at least once before, vanished from the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage just before 5 a.m., according to local officials.
“Please stay indoors and make sure your homes and vehicles are secured until further notice,” the Portage Police Department warned the public shortly after the pair was reported missing.
The inmates were identified as James Newman, 37, and Thomas Deering, a 46-year-old registered sex offender.
Deering, who has been in and out of prison since the mid-1990s, was serving time for sexual assault, kidnapping, battery, burglary and other charges, according to the state Department of Corrections.
He escaped from another Wisconsin maximum-security facility in 2002 and was found two months later in California, online records show.
Newman, who was scheduled to be released in 2047, was serving time for kidnapping, theft and firearm charges. He escaped from a supervised living facility in July 2012 and was captured a week later in Florida, according to his online records.
Authorities believe both inmates left the county on Thursday and were likely heading toward the Madison area.
“These individuals are considered dangerous,” the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post, urging anyone who sees them to “immediately” call 911.
———
©2020 New York Daily News