Authorities issue alert for escaped inmate

Authorities are asking residents to be on the lookout for Jeremy Bryson, an escaped inmate of the Pioche Conservation Camp in Nevada who is still at large. Booking photo issued with an alert Dec. 9, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, St. George News - Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE – An escaped inmate from the Pioche Conservation Camp in Nevada Tuesday is reportedly still at large and may be headed toward Southern Utah, the Lincoln County Sheriff said Wednesday.

Sheriff Kerry Lee issued an alert Tuesday evening to all surrounding law enforcement agencies asking residents in those areas and police to be on the lookout for Jeremy Bryson, 37, who left the camp sometime between noon and 5 p.m.

Bryson is listed as 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing approximately 154 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He also goes by the nickname “Tex,” Lee said.

Deputies have combed the area but other than some footprints and several sightings of Bryson near milepost 102 between Panaca and Caliente, Nevada, Lee said, they’ve had no success in locating him.

Authorities believe Bryson may be going to his hometown in Boulder (City), Nevada, Lee said, but with Pioche, Nevada only about 90 miles west of Cedar City, he may also head in that direction.

“The footprints and sightings were further south so we think he may be headed to Boulder but he could go through Iron and Washington counties (Utah) to try and throw us off his trail,” Lee said. “We issue the alert to all surrounding agencies so they know to be on the lookout just in case he goes that way.”

Whether Bryson had access to a vehicle remains unknown at this time.

Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Del Schlosser said the Sheriff’s Office does not believe he will come this way. However the Sheriff’s Office issued an alert just to be on the safe side.

“You just don’t know what he may do so we wanted residents to be on the lookout and to be aware,” he said.

Information on Bryson’s charges was not available, however, it’s not likely he is a violent offender, Lee said. The Pioche Conservation Camp, established in 1980, is a minimum-security facility and houses between 195 to 238 inmates in dormitory style housing.

“It’s a place for inmates when they are at the end of their sentence,” Lee said. “Many of them have less than a year left (to serve) which is why it’s crazy that he ran.”

In order for an inmate to serve their remaining sentence in the conservation camp they must first qualify, Lee said, which largely eliminates any violent or sexual offenders.

“These guys fight fires, cut firewood for the elderly and shovel snow,” he said. “During the summer they will fight these fires in California and Oregon where at night they are on lockdown but during the day they may only have one supervisor – so it’s not easy to qualify to get in there and the inmates are considered minimal risk.”

All the same, authorities have asked residents, if they see Bryson, to not approach him but to immediately contact their local law enforcement.

If anyone has information on Bryson or his whereabouts they are asked to contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 775-962-5125.

ED. NOTE: CORRECTION: The article inadvertently put Pioche, Nevada, west of Cedar City when in fact it is the other way around. It has since been corrected.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

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12 Comments

  • SSTEED December 9, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    Go Tex! Kudos to anyone who undermines the sick and demented program we call the “justice system”. It should be called “The Public Extortion Company”. If I’m honest: I hope they never catch him.

    • 42214 December 9, 2015 at 7:22 pm

      Spoken like a true ex-con

      • SSTEED December 9, 2015 at 8:46 pm

        Retorted like someone who doesn’t know that the U.S. has 5% of the worlds population; but 25% of the worlds prisoners. That’s a 500% increase over the past 30 years. It been turned into a for-profit business, and business is booming. It’s immoral.

  • SteveSGU December 9, 2015 at 6:07 pm

    Tracie and other article writers, if you don’t know the area you are writing about, look some things up! Google Maps is a great help.

    “Authorities believe Bryson may be going to his hometown in Boulder, Nevada, Lee said, but with Cedar City only about 90 miles west of Pioche, Nevada, he may also head in that direction.”

    You must be referring to Boulder City, Nevada. And Cedar City is east of Pioche. But if he was on the highway between Pioche and Caliente, it’s much more likely he is headed to the Las Vegas area, not to Utah.

    There have been many such incidents of misleading or confusing information in your articles, because some of your writers don’t know the area. Hire some locals!

    • Avatar photo Tracie Sullivan December 9, 2015 at 7:23 pm

      Steve, you got us on the east and west — our brain was thinking backwards but we did correct it so thank you. As for Boulder (City) Nevada the implication given by the sheriffs quoted saying Boulder would be Boulder City, Nevada. But we’ll add that in as well for clarity.

  • ladybugavenger December 9, 2015 at 7:52 pm

    Maybe next time they can just say Cedar because we can infer it’s cedar city Utah. Not all readers will infer correctly…..I thought the writer got the state wrong and I inferred Boulder, CO. \_(@@)_/

    • Avatar photo Joyce Kuzmanic December 9, 2015 at 9:09 pm

      Oh we’ve clarified east, west and Boulder City now, LadyB … no inference required. Nice to see you!
      JK
      EIC

  • 42214 December 10, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    Steed, thanks for the investment tip. Hope they build more, heaven knows we need more prison space.

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