The inmate who escaped from a Philadelphia jail last week remained at large over the weekend.
Authorities, including the U.S. Marshals Service, continue to search for 34-year-old Gino Hagenkotter, who fled the State Road prison campus just after noon Thursday while on an outdoor work assignment, city officials said. He had not been apprehended when Metro went to print Sunday.
Hagenkotter had been serving time at Riverside Correctional Facility for violating his probation after pleading guilty to burglary and theft charges, according to court documents. He met the prison system’s criteria to work outside, according to the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.
“Although this individual was in minimum custody, he should not be approached and anyone who sees him or is contacted by him should immediately call the police,” Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration said in a statement Thursday.
USMS described Hagenkotter as a 5-foot 6-inch man with brown eyes and gray hair. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call 215-686-8477 or submit information at usmarshals.gov.
PDP has been dealing with a severe staffing shortage – with around 40% of correctional officer positions unfilled – and is being monitored by a federal court as part of a settlement stemming from a class action lawsuit brought by inmates over prison conditions.
City Council members have been weighing legislation creating a new prison oversight board and office, which proponents say would have more authority than the system’s current advisory committee.
