Escaped Inmate Caught After Manhunt: Cheshire Police (Updated)

CHESHIRE, CT — Escaped inmate Luis Clarke was apprehended by authorities in Meriden less than three hours after escaping from the Cheshire Correctional Facility on Wednesday night. Following a lead that Clarke may be in the Meriden area, members of the Department of Correction’s Fugitive Team, along with local law enforcement, closed in on a suspect matching his description and he was quickly placed in custody without further incident, authorities said.

In addition to facing criminal escape charges and the potential for additional time added to his sentence, Clarke will be internally reviewed for placement on High Security status at the Northern Correctional Institution, according to authorities.

“I would like to thank our law enforcement partners and commend the swift response from our own Fugitive Unit that apprehended Clarke in less than three hours,” Department of Correction Commissioner Scott Semple said.

UPDATE: New Details In Inmate’s Daring Escape, Capture After Manhunt

(Original post): CHESHIRE, CT — A prisoner escaped from Cheshire Correctional Facility Wednesday night and is currently on the run, police said. Law enforcement officers are currently searching for the suspect and are urging residents to be vigilant.

Cheshire Police say they were notified by the Connecticut Department of Corrections of an escaped inmate - Luis Clarke, 25. State Police say local police, troopers and DOC officials are all searching for the suspect.

"On October 31, 2018 at approximately 7:00 PM, the Cheshire Police Department was notified by the Department of Correction that an inmate had escaped from the Cheshire Correctional Institute, located at 900 Highland Avenue in Cheshire," Cheshire Police said in a news release.

Clarke is a White Hispanic male, standing 5’9” tall and weighing approximately 175 pounds, police said. He has brown hair and brown eyes. Clarke was last seen wearing his gray prison jumpsuit.

He can be identified by his neck, forehead and two face tattoos, police said.

Prison records show that Clarke had pleaded guilty to second-degree threatening and violation of probation for offenses committed in Bristol. His probation was revoked on July 2 for violation of probation.

"A full scale search is underway for an inmate who escaped from a minimum security housing unit in a section of Cheshire Correctional Institution known as the Cheshire Annex. At approximately 6:30 pm the facility was placed in lock down after an offender was determined to be unaccounted for at the conclusion of the evening outside recreational period," the state Department of Corrections said in a release.

Clarke classified as a low risk offender is from Wallingford, state officials said. Clarke last entered the system on June 29 and was sentenced in July 2018 to eighteen months for a violation of probation.

Anyone who has contact with Clarke or has information as to his whereabouts should contact their local police or the Cheshire Police 203-271-5500.

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