Jeffco Investigating If Car Thefts Are Connected To Escaped Inmate
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Jefferson County is investigating whether a pair of stolen cars may be linked to an escaped jail inmate who's been on the lam for more than 24 hours.
Travis Sandlin, 32, wiggled out of a small gap in wire fencing and hopped down a few rooftops while breaking out of jail in Jefferson County at approximately 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
An hour later, the county sheriff's office said a white GMC Denali was stolen near the Heritage Center, about a mile from the jail. That SUV was found near Interstate 70 and El Rancho Road, near where a blue Honda Pilot, with Colorado plates 251-ZCD, was stolen.
Investigators said they're not certain if the car thefts are linked to Sandlin, but they're looking for connections.
RELATED: Jeffco Jail Escapee Is A Registered Sex Offender
Sandlin is 6-feet tall and weighs 185 pounds. He was wearing a grey jumpsuit when he escaped.
Sandlin escaped while he was outside with eight other inmates for 30 minutes of recreation. Deputies noticed Sandlin missing during a head count after the other inmates returned about 20 minutes later.
The sheriff's office said that because Sandlin needed to jump to escape, it's possible he's injured.
Sandlin is facing a drug, weapons, burglary and car theft charges. He has a long rap sheet that goes back 15 years that includes burglary, car theft and fraud. He was also required to register as a sex offender after a Peeping Tom incident in 2003.
"We don't know how desperate this person is, how badly he doesn't want to get caught, so he is potentially a danger to the public," Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said.
The jail has closed all recreation areas for inspection.
"Whether it's specific to that one rec area or all of them, that's what we need to look at," Kelley said.
It's the first time in 27 years an inmate has escaped from the facility.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at 303-271-5612.
