State corrections officers and local police fanned out across Plymouth on Friday after a minimum-custody inmate walked away from a community work crew. Authorities identified the man as 41-year-old Michael L. Vang, who they say removed a GPS monitor before leaving the job site. Vang is serving a sentence for a weapons-possession offense and had been assigned to a work crew run out of the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Lino Lakes.
How Authorities Say He Left
According to KSTP, Vang took off his GPS monitoring device at about 9 a.m. and walked away from the assignment. The station reports officials saying he "may have received help" from someone who gave him a ride from near the work site. KSTP also relayed the Department of Corrections' physical description of Vang as about 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds with brown eyes and black hair, and noted authorities asking anyone with information to call 911.
DOC Records And The Lino Lakes Assignment
The Minnesota Department of Corrections' public offender record lists Vang as offender ID 243532 and shows he was assigned to an institution work crew based out of MCF-Lino Lakes, with court file numbers tied to Hennepin and Ramsey counties, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections. The department's facility page for Lino Lakes describes minimum-security housing and community reentry programs that include supervised work crews, providing context for the assignment; see the Minnesota Department of Corrections Lino Lakes page for details. The public records list his sentence and anticipated release information tied to those court files.
What State Law Allows
Under Minnesota law, the DOC commissioner must issue a warrant when an inmate escapes and the facility chief may offer a reward, up to $100, for information leading to the return of an escapee, according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes entry for Minnesota Statute 243.58. The statute gives the department authority to coordinate warrants and pursue information that leads to an inmate's apprehension.
Plymouth residents were urged to be vigilant but not to approach the man. Anyone who spots Vang should call 911 immediately and report tips to the DOC tipline at 651-603-0026, KSTP reported. Authorities had not provided the exact job-site address or said whether a reward would be offered as of Friday evening.
