An offender at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Lino Lakes hijacked a van full of inmates and fled to Minneapolis Friday morning, authorities said.
As of 2:50 p.m., one offender, James Douglas Mitchell, remained at large and the target of a police search, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a blue button-down shirt, authorities said.
It’s unclear exactly how the White Ford van was overtaken, whether there were any injuries or violence, or if any of the other inmates in the van were in cahoots with the prisoner who hijacked van.
According to Sarah Fitzgerald, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections:
“The offender transportation van was driving from the (St. Cloud Correctional Facility) with stops at several Minnesota Department of Corrections facilities. There were nine offenders in the van when it was overtaken at the Lino Lakes facility. Five offenders were apprehended in the Mounds View area by local law enforcement, and three were apprehended in North Minneapolis. The state vehicle has been recovered in North Minneapolis. Offender James Douglas Mitchell remains at large and was last known to be in the area of North Minneapolis.”
The incident was first reported at 11:03 a.m., according to Gordy Hughes, dispatch supervisor for the Anoka County sheriff’s office.
According to Fitzgerald: “At approximately 11:30 a.m. we were notified by law enforcement that 5 offenders were apprehended in Mounds View area: Vance Erik Jourdain, Edward Washington, Shawn Lee Jackson, Anthony Dwayne Alexander, Dylan Cantrell Bathke.
“At approximately 12 p.m. we were notified by law enforcement that 3 offenders were apprehended in North Minneapolis: Mitchell Dale Saltzman, Paul Jerome Thunder, Kevin Ladell Mitchell.”
The offender at large — James Douglas Mitchell, 26 — was sentenced Dec. 18, 2014, in Hennepin County for assault, according to DOC records. His anticipated release date was Nov. 13, 2024.
Anyone who spots Mitchell should call 911 immediately and not approach him, authorities say.
Contrary to some reports — including one that briefly appeared here — “The offender did not jump the fence at the Lino Lakes facility.”