Kamloops prisoner remains on the loose
Police continue to search for Steven Michael Hodgins, the 22-year-old Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre inmate who escaped while working with other prisoners outside the east Kamloops jail on Tuesday morning.
Hodgins, a prolific offender with a history of property-crime offences, wandered away at about 9:30 a.m.
The search immediately after Hodgins disappeared include the use of a helicopter along with two police-dog teams, one of which followed a possible trail behind the prison and over hills leading to Mission Flats.
Police are also looking into a possible sighting of the man at a construction site near Pacific Way shortly after his alleged escape.
As of 5 p.m., Hodgins remained at large and Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Grant Learned is asking residents in Dufferin to lock their doors and windows and to be on the lookout for anyone in the area who may appear suspicious
Hodgins might be wearing a KRCC red jumpsuit or white thermal underwear.
He is white and has a freckled complexion, standing about five-foot-eight and weighing 162 pounds with short brown hair and blue eyes.
Police say Hodgins does not have a violent criminal history and want to remind the public it is a criminal offence to help an escaped inmate remain on the lam.
Hodgins has been in jail since Sept. 27, when he was arrested on the North Shore.
At the time, police said he was found in possession of break-in tools, and initially gave officers a false name.
Mounties also said Hodgins' arrest led to the search of a home on Larch Avenue, from which stolen electronics and identification were seized.
He pleaded guilty to a number of property charges on Oct. 13 and was handed a sentence of just under a year in jail, plus one year of probation.
Anyone with information about Hodgins' whereabouts is asked to call police at 250-828-3000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
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