By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
Authorities are still looking for a man who escaped from the Larned State Hospital on Wednesday. John Freeman Colt walked out of the Sexual Predator Treatment Program shortly after 7 a.m.
The Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of searching for Colt who is described as Caucasian, 5’ 7”, weighing 200 pounds with blue eyes and short brown hair. He has a tattoo of a heart with the letters BH on his left arm.
The Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office was not notified about the escape until 12:50 p.m. on Wednesday, several hours after Colt had walked away.
Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir said his office took action when he was notified about the situation.
“We were looking at our blacktops in rural areas in the western part of the county, and then obviously they were scouring Pawnee County over there around Larned,” Bellendir said. “In a situation like this, this guy had a four or five hour head start so it makes it virtually impossible to get him located.”
Colt was last seen at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, walking northbound from the Kwik Shop on Broadway in Larned.
Bellendir was a guest on 1590 KVGB’s County Edition on Thursday. He explained how Colt made it that far.
“He caught a ride into town...gave a story he had a broken-down vehicle,” Bellendir said. “He was dressed in dress clothes. He didn’t look like what you’d expect an inmate to be. He looked more like a social worker, and that’s probably how he managed to escape.”
Bellendir said Colt had altered his appearance by cutting his hair and shaving off a beard.
Authorities say he was wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants and a dark face mask. He may be in possession of a cellphone.
Bellendir said Colt is known to be violent to law enforcement officers. Anyone with information is asked to call 911.