LARNED – Local law enforcement was still searching late Thursday evening for a 59-year-old resident of the Sexual Predator Treatment Program (SPTP) on the campus of Larned State Hospital (LSH) who escaped in the early hours of Thursday morning.Early Thursday afternoon, Larned city and Pawnee County law enforcement were advised by dispatch of a report from an unnamed LSH official that Kevin James Snyder, a resident of the Meyer East building, part of the SPTP, had walked away. The report was received at 1:02 p.m.
Kevin James Snyder
Later in the day, investigators learned that Snyder’s last confirmed presence on the LSH campus was at 3:38 a.m. Thursday. Surveillance cameras captured him walking north toward the water tower on LSH campus. Security footage later showed him in the 300 block of 14th Street in Larned, heading east on foot at approximately 5:37 a.m.Within two hours of the dispatched report, Pawnee County officials issued a social media alert to the public that Snyder, who had been civilly committed to the SPTP in 2005 following a conviction in Lyon County, had walked away and was last seen wearing dark jeans and a light gray shirt. A later report advised that Snyder may have changed to all black clothing.
Pawnee County Sheriff Larry Atteberry, who was contacted by the Tribune late Thursday, said he had been briefed on the incident while attending an all-day Sheriff’s conference in Mulvane. He expects to return Friday afternoon. “I was informed,” he said. “My deputies are on it, under the supervision of Undersheriff Josh Huff,” Atteberry noted, adding that Det. Jake Robinson was also assisting local law enforcement with the search. He also said that Snyder apparently kicked out a window and escaped directly from the Meyer East building, and that he was not off campus when the incident occurred.Meyer East serves as a reintegration facility within the SPTP at Larned and houses residents who have advanced to Tier Three. This tier allows increased community involvement, skills application and preparation for independent living or later court-ordered transitional release. Meyer East residents are afforded the privilege of obtaining supervised employment, earning paychecks that are shared with the hospital to cover board and care costs. Program violations and criminal activity result in a return to the bottom tier of the program.The building’s capacity is 16 individuals, with recent average daily censuses ranging from 9 to 11. The total head count for all residents in the program was recently reported as 283.Snyder’s original criminal convictions date back to a 1988 case in Lyon County. Court records show he was charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy and two counts of indecent liberties with a child. He was sentenced to prison and ordered registered as a sexual predator under the state’s Sexually Violent Predator Act.With Snyder still at large, officials continue to advise anyone who sees him to contact the Larned Police Department or the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement is also asking Larned residents and business owners to review their video systems from 5:40 a.m. onward for anyone wearing dark clothing outside their home or business near 14th and Broadway, and in the areas northeast of that intersection.
Source link
——————————————————–
Click Here For The Original Source.
