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Department of Corrections spokesperson Alison Morgan said the search for an inmate who escaped from Sterling Correctional Facility Sunday night was continuing over a widespread area.
DOC has elected not the publicly pinpoint one particular area that the search has been confined to as the public should remain "alert and aware" given the time Douglas J. Alward has been on foot.
Area residents might notice a lot of activity to the south of the facility, which is located at 12101 Highway 61.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including Sterling Police, Logan County Sheriff, Washington County Sheriff and Colorado State Patrol, are involved in the search for Douglas J. Alward, including air support.
Alward's escape was the first successful escape attempt at the facility, according to Katherine Sanguinetti, spokesperson for the Department of Corrections.
Alward was last seen at 9:09 p.m. Sunday, and was missing by the time a count was called at 10:10 p.m. The facility's shift change from second to third shift occurs at 10 p.m.
The DOC is not releasing any details of how Alward escaped as the matter is still under investigation.
Alward has twice previously escaped from other facilities, once in 1985 and once in 1991.
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Republicans in the Colorado State Senate called for new priorities in state spending and less reliance on federal dollars yesterday as Colorado is facing a $60 million budget shortfall.
Colorado has expanded Medicaid eligibility adding hundreds of thousands of people to its rolls ballooning the state’s caseload widening the budget gap.
In 2001 Colorado’s Medicaid caseload was around 275,000 while in FY 2009-2010 it grew to over 476,000. One estimate projects Colorado’s Medicaid / CHIP enrollment to grow by 44% over the next four years alone to 897,000 – a number Colorado cannot afford according to the Republicans.
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Denver Manager of Safety Ron Perea, who has come under fire for his decisions in two police discipline cases, has resigned his post effective Aug. 31, the city announced this afternoon.
On Saturday The Denver Post reported Perea, who was hired earlier this year, was being criticized for a ruling in an abuse case that the city's Independent Police Monitor and Citizen Oversight Board worried could undermine a new discipline system.
He met Friday in a closed-door session with the board and independent monitor Richard Rosenthal to defend his decision to give Officer Eric Sellers a suspension of 45 days without pay for "inappropriate force" and "commission of a deceptive act."
The board unanimously decided to issue a report disagreeing with Perea's discipline of Sellers. The board never publicly criticized the decisions of former Safety Manager Al LaCabe during the seven years he held the post.
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The American Constitution Party's gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo has chosen a former state representative as his new running mate.
Early Tuesday morning, Tancredo announced his decision of Pat Miller as his lieutenant governor candidate. Miller is known as a pro-life candidate.
As late as last week, Tancredo has continued to urge Republican candidate Dan Maes to end his campaign for governor. Tancredo told Republican leaders Maes is not a strong enough candidate. Tancredo promised to drop his candidacy if Maes dropped out. Maes has said he will not drop out.
