Published: March 13, 2009 12:21 am         

Search for escaped inmate continues

Offender was at minimum-security prison in Carlisle

CARLISLE — A minimum-security offender who walked away from prison this week in Sullivan County was still at large Thursday evening.

Dozens of law enforcement officials continued their search for Stefon D. Hutcherson, 22, who was serving time for forgery at the minimum-security camp at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility near Carlisle.

Search dogs have picked up scents north of the prison and east of U.S. 41, said Rich Larsen, public information officer for the facility. Authorities also received some tips from nearby residents over the telephone, he said.

Those searching include law enforcement officers from the Indiana Department of Corrections, area police agencies and conservation officers, Larsen said. Search dogs are being provided by officers at the corrections facility in Putnamville, he said.

The minimum security camp was under “lock-down” Thursday, Larsen said.

On Wednesday morning, authorities at the Carlisle facility confirmed that Hutcherson, who is from the Indianapolis area, was missing. He arrived at the correctional camp in late December after being convicted of forgery, a class-C felony, in Marion County, Larsen said.

Hutcherson’s projected release date was Oct. 13, 2009, according to the Indiana Department of Corrections Web site. The site indicates he originally was convicted in July 2007.

The Wabash Valley Correctional Facility’s minimum-security camp is a dormitory-type structure located outside the walls of the maximum-security facility, Larsen said. It currently houses around 190 minimum-security offenders.

Authorities describe Hutcherson as a black male, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 150 pounds with black hair. Anyone seeing Hutcherson is asked to call the nearest law enforcement agency.