ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY: Jason King

On Tuesday, February 21, 2012, at 12:55 PM, Jason Lee King, 21, of Redby, Minnesota escaped from custody while being escorted from the Beltrami County Jail to an appointment at the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. King was being held on Armed Robbery Charges stemming from the robbery at Newby’s Store in December.

King successfully evaded the corrections officer in a foot chase that went east and north from the hospital campus. Responding officers from the Bemidji Police Department and Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office followed tracks in the snow to a residence on Irvine Avenue. There, officers found tracks indicating the suspect had entered a vehicle parked in the driveway and the vehicle had been driven from the driveway. A neighbor reported seeing a red pick-up truck driving north on Irvine Avenue from the house.

Officers from neighboring jurisdictions were notified and deputies began searching north of Bemidji. A Red Lake Police Officer spotted the stolen vehicle entering the reservation on Highway 89 and attempted to stop the suspect. The vehicle sped north, away from the officer and a pursuit began which went through Red Lake and into Redby at speeds reaching 90 MPH. The suspect frequently drove into the oncoming lane running cars from the road. The suspect entered the forest roads south of Redby. Pursuing officers followed the suspect through the minimum maintenance roads and trails near Fireline Road and the South Boundary Road on the Red Lake Reservation. The suspect finally crashed on South Railway Road and then fled on foot into the woods.

Officers from Koochiching County, Clearwater County, the Minnesota State Patrol, the FBI and the US Border Patrol responded to assist Red Lake Police and K9 units and Beltrami County Deputies. The manhunt is still underway at the time of this press release.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jason Lee King is requested to call the Red Lake Police at 218-679-3313 or the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office at 218-333-9111.

Sheriff Phil Hodapp

Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office