Kenosha police are on the hunt for a 31-year-old man who slipped away from the Kenosha Correctional Center just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities identified him as Jonathan Taylor and said he is about 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs more than 200 pounds, and has blue eyes and brown hair. His escape kicked off a local search and a public plea for tips.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections notified law enforcement shortly after Taylor walked away, according to WISN 12 News. Anyone who thinks they have spotted Taylor or knows where he might be is asked to call the Kenosha Police Department at 262-656-1234.
Where He Walked Away From
Taylor left the Kenosha Correctional Center, a minimum-security facility that is part of the Wisconsin Correctional Center System and houses people in the Department of Corrections' custody. The center runs various programs and work-release opportunities and lays out rules for visits and daily operations in its official handbook, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
Escapes Have Happened Here Before
Data compiled by state officials and reviewed by local reporters shows that walkaways from correctional centers are not rare. Since 2015, 135 inmates have "walked away" from state facilities, and the Kenosha Correctional Center alone accounts for 21 of those incidents, according to an I-Team analysis by TMJ4. "You know every time we have a walk away or an escape from our centers, we put forth effort to do an after-action review," DOC Warden Quala Champagne told TMJ4, describing how the department looks back at what went wrong.
How To Help
Police are urging residents not to confront Taylor if they see him. Instead, they want people to call the Kenosha Police Department at 262-656-1234 with any tips, or dial 911 if there is an immediate threat. Those instructions and the basic details of the case were included in the initial public update, according to WISN 12 News.
