Man charged after being accused of escaping from federal detention facility in Wichita
A man accused of escaping from a federal detention center in Wichita in July has been charged.
A federal grand jury in Wichita has returned an indictment charging Lee Owen Hallford, 42, with one count of escaping from prison.
“Hallford is accused of unlawfully leaving the custody of the Bureau of Prisons while at the Residential Reentry Center — Correctional Solution Group, LLC in Wichita,” according to a news release Wednesday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
A criminal complaint filed last month shows that Hallford escaped from the detention facility on July 15.
Hallford was initially sentenced in December 2021 to serve four years at a detention center in Pekin, Illinois for his conviction of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Oklahoma.
On May 20, 2024, Hallford was furloughed from prison and was told to report to a detention center in Wichita by 2 p.m. May 21 to serve the remainder of his sentence. He failed to report, according to a criminal complaint.
A furlough is an authorized temporary release granted to a prison inmate who is being transferred to another facility, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
On May 22, the facility in Illinois reported Hallford as an escaped federal prisoner. The next day, he reported to the Wichita facility and his escape status was withdrawn.
On July 15, Hallford got into an altercation with his case manager at the Wichita facility and left without permission.
Court documents did not say when or how he was found and taken back into custody.
“It is requested that the trial be held in Wichita, Kansas,” Wednesday’s news release said.
If convicted, Hallford faces up to five years in prison with three years of supervision after being released and a fine of up to $250,000.