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UPDATE: McCook Public Schools lifts 'secure mode' operations following WEC escape
McCOOK, Neb.– McCook Public Schools is no longer operating in "secure mode" after imposing it earlier this morning because of an escape from the Work Ethic Camp.
In an automated message to parents, the school said law enforcement authorities believed the escapee was no longer in the area.
Red Willow County Sheriff Kevin Darling said an implement dealer reported a pickup was stolen, but it contained a tracker which allowed it to be traced through Holdrege to Grand Island, where it was recovered and another vehicle was stolen a short distance away.
The McCook Police Department said Ronald Grant escaped from WEC at 7:49 p.m. Sunday, and as of 1:47 this morning had not been apprehended. At 10:58 a.m., however, MPD posted that he was no longer believed to be in the area and anyone with information about his whereabouts was asked to contact law enforcement.
McCook Public Schools said the "secure mode" was a cautionary measure, and no specific threat had been received.
"Secure mode enhances our security measures concerning the entering and exiting of the building and the surveillance of the buildings and grounds," according to an automated message sent out from the schools.
Authorities said Grant was with a staff member and two other incarcerated individuals emptying trash in the north parking lot when he took off running west and headed south. Local law enforcement and the Nebraska State Patrol have been notified.
Grant started his sentence on November 15, 2005. He was sentenced to 29 to 44 years for charges out of Lancaster County that include manslaughter, assault by a confined person and felon in possession of a deadly weapon. He has a parole hearing scheduled for July 2023 and a tentative release date of November 18, 2029.
Grant is a 39-year-old Native American man, 5’ 10”, 185 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts is asked to contact local authorities or the Nebraska State Patrol.
WEC is a minimum B security facility with a focus on programming and treatment in order to prepare individuals for release. Individuals housed at this facility may be permitted to complete job and program assignments in the community with intermittent supervision. Minimum B custody is a lower custody level and is served in a less restrictive facility.