TULSA, Okla. — Two Oklahoma inmates remain at large as a third escape since December renewed questions about security at correctional and medical facilities across the state.
The Pryor Police Department said Johnathon Cartwright escaped custody Feb. 23 while receiving medical care in Pryor. He was transported to the medical facility from the Rogers County Jail.
This escape marks the third in Oklahoma since December.
The Okfuskee County Sheriff told 2 News inmate Joshua Butler escaped and went unaccounted for for five days before anyone noticed.
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More recently, the Department of Corrections said inmate Robey Butler walked away from Jackie Brannon Correctional Center in McAlester.
The DOC did not respond to 2 News' request for an update on their search or how he escaped.
As of Feb. 24, Cartwright and Robey Butler remain at large.
Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton said he believes unsecure mental health facilities — not prisons — are at the root of the problem.
"It is a concern of mine, it's a concern of anybody who lives in these communities when people can walk away from these facilities," said Walton. "A huge concern I have is even those workers inside those facilities that cannot restrain and handle these individuals as they need to be handled."
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2 News was there in October and again in January when patients walked out of Grand Lake Horizon.
Walton said his office did have a walkaway of their own years ago — an inmate who was mistakenly released — but was located within 30 minutes and returned to custody.
"It was a mistake, and if you handle as many prisoners as these men and women do, severely understaffed, I'm gonna tell you, I mean it's a breeding ground for mistakes," said Walton.
Walton acknowledged the broader challenge facing law enforcement.
"We're dealing with more mental health patients every day," said Walton. "And I don't have the answer. It's pretty easy to identify the problem, but I do not have the answer."
The question of who is responsible when inmates escape remains unanswered.
2 News Stef Manchen reached out to the State Department of Health. This story will be updated once we receive a response.
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