June 04--Local law enforcement officers are searching for an escaped inmate. Allen J. Abel, 27, walked away from a work release center on Highway 390 sometime overnight, officials said.
The center, which is run by Florida's Department of Corrections, houses inmates who are transitioning back to society and have only a few months left on their sentences.
Abel, who was convicted of multiple counts of burglary in 2006.
Officials said a neighbor spotted Abel in the Goose Bayou area at about 8:30 a.m. Monday and called police. When a deputy approached him Abel ran away, officials said.
Abel was wearing a green tee shirt and cut off blue jean shorts, according to a news release from the Panama City Police Department. Panama City Police officers, DOC investigators and other law enforcement agencies are searching for Abel at this time. He is described as a white male, 5'6 in height and weighs approximately 128 pounds, police wrote.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Panama City Police Department, 850-872-3112. Anonymously tips can be reported to Crime Stoppers at 850-785-TIPS.
Copyright 2012 - The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.
