KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Marshals are looking for a sex offender who escaped from a Kansas state mental hospital on June 30.
John Freeman Colt, 42, was convicted of aggravated sexual battery, attempted rape, aggravated burglary and four counts of aggravated battery against law enforcement and sentenced to five years in Kansas state prison in Dec. 2001, according to a U.S. Marshals Service release.
After his sentence, the state "deemed him a Sexually Violent Predator at high risk to commit a future sex offense and too dangerous to be release," according to the release.
Colt was sent to the Larned State Hospital's Sexual Predator Treatment Program in 2007. He has been residing at this facility since and escaped from it.
U.S. Marshals are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the capture of Colt.
Investigators believe that Colt planned his escape for several months. He obtained a copy of a staff ID badge and uniform.
Colt shaved his hair and beard and put blankets under his covers to make staff think he was asleep the morning he escaped.
"He was then able to convince a new staff worker (that he targeted) that he was in fact a new doctor and needed help finding his way out," the release said. "Posing as a doctor, Colt was able to make his way past five secured doors and ultimately outside the gates."
It took staff at the facility several hours before they noticed he was missing and called the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office.
Colt was driven by a local farmer to the town of Larned, and he then rode to Scott City on a motorcycle he purchased with the help of an accomplice.
The U.S. Marshals do not currently know of Colt's whereabouts, but they think he may be camping in and around state or national parks throughout Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas or Utah, according to the release.
“John Colt presents a clear threat to the community every day he is not in custody,” Ronald Miller, the U.S. Marshal for the District of Kansas, said. “He has been deemed a sexual predator, and the U.S. Marshals consider his escape a major case and are devoting all available resources to his capture.”
Colt is about 5'7" and weighs approximately 200 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes and a tattoo of a heart with the letters BH on his left arm.
The U.S. Marshals Service asks that anyone with information on Colt should contact them at 1-877-WANTED2 or send it through the USMS Tips app. Individuals can also contact their local law enforcement.
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
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