3 inmates escape in New Richmond, Wis. 'boot camp'
Three inmates from the St. Croix County Correctional Center in New Richmond, Wis. escaped Wednesday night and are still at-large. New Richmond schools were closed Thursday, and the police chief ordered residents to stay inside and lock doors as crews searched from the ground and air.
Each escaped inmate was scheduled for full release in August, but Wednesday night they decided to flee the out an alarmed door at the rehab-style, dorm-like facility.
The St. Croix County sheriff's office received a report of a stolen vehicle from the 1300 block of 210th Ave, about 3 miles north of New Richmond. This may be related to the escapees, but that connection has not been confirmed. The vehicle is a silver, four-door 2015 Hyundai Sonata with Wisconsin license plate 597 LMS.
3 inmates identified as
Jesse Jamal Fairley, 25, a 5-8 black male with black hair. Fairley was serving a sentence for Burglary. He's from the St. Croix County area with ties to St. Paul, Minn.
Andre Lee Vance, 20, a 6-4 light-skinned black male with brown hair and brown eyes. Vance is formerly from Madison, Wis. and was serving a sentence for operating a motor vehicle without owners consent and burglary.
Kyle John Peterson, 19, a 5-10 white male with blonde hair and blue eyes. Peterson was serving a sentence for forgery and possession of drugs.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of the individuals are asked to call St. Croix County Dispatch at 715-386-4704 or contact Detective Yehlik or Koehler at 715-246-6667. If the inmates are seen, residents should call 911 immediately.
Possible sighting
Lloyd Robl and his friend, Jennifer Clark, are absolutely convinced that one of the escaped inmates was hiding out behind their New Richmond home late Wednesday. The house is less than a mile from the St. Croix Correctional Center.
"They were just standing behind the boat," Robl said. "Probably crouched down or what not. And then they just bolted as soon as we came around the corner."
New Richmond School District statement
"At approximately 5 am this morning, I received notification that some residents of the City of New Richmond received an automated message from St. Croix County Dispatch alerting residents to remain indoors with doors locked as three persons had escaped from the correctional facility. The school made the decision to do a two hour delay until more details could be gathered. To error on the side of student safety and allow more time for information to be gathered regarding the situation, school will be canceled today, May 7. Again, school will be canceled today May 7. Watch alerts for after school activities." - Jeff Moberg, Superintendent