Convicted sex offender who escaped Kansas hospital is captured in Utah, officials say

UPDATE: John Freeman Colt, who has been on the loose for nearly three months after his June escape from a Kansas mental hospital, has been captured.

Pawnee County Attorney Douglass W. McNett announced the arrest of Colt on Tuesday. Colt was arrested Monday night in Wayne County, Utah, according to KSTU.

McNett said more details will be issued later in the day.

“I would encourage everyone to avoid speculating on social media as to the details at this time,” McNett said.

The original story is below:

Nearly three months after a convicted sex offender pulled off an elaborate escape from a Kansas mental hospital, a reward is being offered for his capture.

John Freeman Colt, who escaped from Larned State Hospital on June 30, is “a clear threat to the community every day he is not in custody,” said Ronald Miller, U.S. Marshal for the District of Kansas.

The 42-year-old planned his escape over the course of several months, obtaining a staff ID badge and dress clothes to pose as a doctor, officials said. He targeted one of the hospital’s new staffers, whom he asked for help finding his way out of the facility, which is located about 120 miles northwest of Wichita.

After making his way outside the gates, he hitchhiked to the town of Larned before riding off in a motorcycle he purchased through the help of an accomplice, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Colt’s whereabouts are unknown, but officials say he could be traveling or camping in or around state or national parks throughout Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas or Utah.

A $10,000 reward is now being offered for information that leads to his capture.

“He has been deemed a sexual predator, and the U.S. Marshals consider his escape a major case and are devoting all available resources to his capture,” Miller said.

Colt was convicted of sex offenses after being charged in 2000 and again in 2006, The Kansas City Star reported. He is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

He was sentenced to five years in state prison in 2001, but after his sentence was complete, he was deemed too dangerous to be released. He has stayed in the Larned State Hospital’s Sexual Predator Treatment Program since 2007, the U.S. Marshals said.

Colt is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, around 200 pounds with hazel eyes and brown hair, but shaved his long hair and beard prior to his escape. He also has a tattoo of a heart with the letters “BH” on his left arm.

Anyone with information with Colt’s whereabouts is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2.

This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 8:26 AM.