Rockview Inmate Escapes; Police Release Description, Advise Caution

UPDATED @ 12:30 p.m. Sept. 28: The escaped inmate is back in custody, according to WJAC TV. Updated information is available on this article page.

Earlier coverage is posted below.

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UPDATED @ 11:18 a.m. Sept. 28: Additional details about the Rockview escape have been released. More information is available in this updated article.

Earlier coverage is posted below.

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Earlier coverage, posted @ 1:02 a.m. Sept. 28:

An inmate at the State Correctional Institution at Rockview escaped from the prison grounds Tuesday evening, state police at Rockview confirmed.

The inmate, identified as Franklin Barndt, 34, is white and stands about 5 feet 9 inches tall, police said. He weighs about 160 pounds, is bald and has a goatee and brown eyes, according to a police description.

Police said he was last seen at 9 p.m. at the prison’s forestry camp, on the Rockview grounds near Pleasant Gap. The Daily Collegian — which broke the news of the escape via Twitter and Facebook — noted that Barndt reportedly has several tattoos, as well.

Anyone who sees Barndt should use caution in his presence and call Rockview state police immediately at (814) 355-7545, police said. It was not immediately known if Barndt is armed.

Barndt was charged with crack distribution after an arrest in December 2009, prior media reports show. The image to the right — provided via Bill Wadell, of WJAC TV — shows Barndt at an earlier time.

StateCollege.com will post more information as it becomes available.