Douglas Alward (prison photo)
UPDATE – 2 p.m. Authorities closed in on Alward today in a cornfield in Colorado… Story developing…
This is the fourth time Douglas Alward, 48, has slid away from the hands of law enforcement. A career criminal known for his jail breaks escaped from the Sterling Correctional State Facility in Colorado late Sunday night and hasn’t been seen since. Late Tuesday, authorities announced a $15,000 reward.
Katherine Sanguinetti, Spokesperson for the Colorado State Prison, says authorities aren’t releasing the details of this escape because the investigation is ongoing, but she did say that he is a dangerous criminal who needs to be found.
Alward was serving time for first degree attempted murder, burglary and kidnapping. Although he was eligible for parole in 2005, and a hearing was set for this October, he decided that breaking out from a secure perimeter would be better than waiting around. He was housed in a facility with 2,500 other inmates and had been behind bars there since 2001.
Sanguinetti says Alward’s first escape from the law was December 2, 1980. Alward was in a prison transport vehicle when the van got lodged on something and couldn’t move. “He grabbed an inner tube and ran and jumped into the Arkansas River,” said Sanguinetti. She added that he was caught later that day down river. You can only imagine the water temperature in the middle of December.
The next escape was five years later, August 22, 1985 specifically. Alward scaled a state prison facility wall that was built in 1871. Once out in the wide open, he broke into a state highway building and stole a dump truck. Later the dump truck was found in a Colorado Springs ditch, and on October 3, 1985 Alward was nabbed across state lines in Arizona.
On July 7, 1991, inside the Freemont County courthouse, Sanguinetti says Alward and another inmate overpowered a deputy, took his (or her) weapon and kidnapped a woman. Alward was only on the run for seven days that time before his capture.
I spoke with Alward’s father today, who does not wish to be identified. He said he does not speak to his son, and he does not think he will ask for his assistance. Alward’s family lives near Colorado Springs.
Alward is tall and thin, 6’1” and 152 pounds. He has some other family in El Paso County, but he is known to cross state lines. He could be wearing standard inmate green pants and shirt, or grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt along with athletic shoes. Alward is missing a toe on his left foot.
Tags: arizona, attempted murder, burglarly, colorado, Correctional facility, Douglas Alward, escaped prisoner, fourth time, kidnapping, prison
