Escapee faces additional time in prison
Young had been scheduled for release in January 2009By KATIE WILLIAMS, Messenger staff writer
A Fort Dodge man could face up to five more years in prison if convicted of escape, a Class D felony.
Robert Dean Young Jr., 24, appeared in Webster County Magistrate Court on Friday for allegedly walking away from the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility.
Young was outside the prison on work detail, assigned to a mowing crew, when he allegedly left the area without permission. Staff noticed him missing during a regular check at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
He was what prison staffers call an "outs worker,'' which means that his good behavior in prison had earned him the privilege of working outside the fence.
Young was serving a seven-year sentence for second-degree theft, two counts of voluntary absence and domestic assault. He was due to be released from jail Jan. 16, 2009.
Prison workers, Fort Dodge police and Webster County sheriff's deputies launched a search.
He was detained approximately five hours later with the help of a Fort Dodge woman.
Warden Cornell Smith said they contacted one of Young's victims from a previous trial in an attempt to find him. The woman had moved away from the area, but her mother still lived at the address, he said.
The woman pointed law enforcement to a house where he had been known to hang out. Police found him in the living room and arrested Young, Smith said. The woman will receive an award for the information she provided to law enforcement, said Webster County Crime Stoppers.
Young's escape was the first one at the medium security prison since it opened in April 1998, according to Smith.
If Young is convicted, he will be transported to a maximum security prison in Fort Madison, he said.
A Class D felony is punishable with up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500.
A preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 17.
Contact Katie Williams at (515) 573-2141 or katie@messengernews.net
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momof250548
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10-11-08 3:45 PM
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Almost makes you wonder if he knew he was about to get out and wasn't ready.
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Vlestp
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10-11-08 8:08 AM
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Not very bright is he?! He would have been out in Jan. What a loser.
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