Court says Kansan is liable for escape, even from house arrest

A federal appeals court has ruled that a Leavenworth man was legally in custody while under house confinement and can be prosecuted for escape for leaving his home.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday reversed a lower court’s dismissal of the indictment charging Michael Ko with escape for failing to return to his home.

Ko received a five-year sentence for a 2009 conviction of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He served most of his sentence in prison, and eventually the Bureau of Prisons transferred Ko to finish his sentence in confinement at his home in Leavenworth.

He agreed to stay home except for employment. Ko was arrested seven days after his electronic monitoring bracelet alerted authorities in October 2012 that he was not home.

This story was originally published January 3, 2014 at 8:52 PM with the headline "Court says Kansan is liable for escape, even from house arrest ."