Two inmates who escaped from the Gordon Correctional Facility in
September made initial appearances in Douglas County Circuit Court last week.
Loren Frikart, 30, and Gary Gene Wells, 47, each face one count of felony
escape.
Cash bail of $500 was set for both men, and their preliminary hearings were scheduled for Oct. 26.
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According to the criminal complaint:
The men were serving court-ordered sentences at the facility -- Frikart was convicted of misdemeanor theft in February, and Wells was convicted of felony burglary in 2007.
They and a third inmate, Danny Davis, had been painting at the correctional facility on the evening of Sept. 3. When they were done painting, they put their supplies away, parked the tractor and closed up the garage. Then the three men went back behind the woodshop. Nine minutes later, they were found to be missing.
Detective Brad Hoyt with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office interviewed Frikart and Wells.
The two men said they started walking around in the woods north of the prison, looking for a pit, but got lost and wandered in the woods for some time. When they came to a dirt road, the men decided that they probably were already considered escapees and since they had gone this far, they would keep going.
By following a combination of ATV trails and railroad tracks, the men walked to Superior. They went to a car-care center off Tower Avenue that Wells used to work at. He knew the combination to the lock and used it to get in. They spent the night sleeping in the basement.
The next day, they went to the Laundromat across the street and saw police nearby, so they fled. While Frikart and Wells were heading down Albany Avenue, they saw police coming and realized they were surrounded, at which point they decided to give up.
The two were arrested in the woods near South Superior the morning of Sept. 5.
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Frikart and Wells remain in custody at Douglas County Jail. If convicted, each man faces a maximum sentence of six years imprisonment and up to a
$10,000 fine.
Davis has not been located. He is described as 5-foot-9, 205 pounds with sandy hair and hazel eyes. If anyone knows of his whereabouts they are encouraged to contact 911.
