St. Louis police urged residents Sunday to lock their doors and secure their garages after an inmate escaped from the City Justice Center in downtown St. Louis.
Police identified the man as 29-year-old Maurio Thomas. He is described as 5’9″ tall and weighing 130 pounds. Police said he was last seen wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, dark pants and white shoes. SLMPD spokesman Mitch McCoy described Thomas as “extremely dangerous” and said a manhunt was underway.
The police released social media surveillance photos Sunday morning showing Thomas on the street near the prison. Investigators say they are using the Real-Time Crime Center’s cameras, along with the department’s K-9 teams and intelligence units, to bring Thomas back into custody.
They say anyone who sees Thomas should not approach him and should call 911 immediately.
The department said in a news conference Sunday morning that Thomas escaped from the City Justice Center through the ceiling of a room where he may have made phone calls. He was able to escape the building through an alley behind the CJC.
SLMPD officers were dispatched to CJC around 1 a.m. Sunday morning for an escape attempt and later found surveillance footage showing Thomas outside the building around 1:15 a.m. The department’s K-9 unit lost track of Thomas’ scent in the downtown area at the corner of 20th Street and Market Street.
He was unarmed at the time of the escape, according to SLMPD.
“All available resources are being used,” McCoy said.
Court records show Thomas was being held without bail on two counts of first-degree burglary and two counts of first-degree sodomy.
According to a probable cause statement, Thomas is accused of breaking into a woman’s home and sexually assaulting her on Aug. 16 and Oct. 9. Police said Thomas admitted to the crimes during interviews.
McCoy did not provide details about the victim to protect her safety, but said she was a stranger to Thomas at the time of the assault.
SLMPD plans to provide updates throughout the day.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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