UPDATE, 1:43 p.m.: Lt. Steve Knight of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Robert Lee Snow, 21, walked away from an inmate crew at the Sheriff’s Office wood lot, but the EPD just took him into custody after about an hour and a half on the lam.

Snow had 91 days left on his sentence before pulling a runner. He was in jail for violation of probation; the probation stemmed from earlier burglary, petty theft and possession of stolen property charges.

Full HCSO press release below:

On 10-28-2014, at approximately 12:00 p.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Officer was supervising a nine man inmate work crew at the Sheriff’s Office Wood Lot, located at 2240 Watson Street, Eureka. The Correctional Officer conducted a head count and noticed inmate Robert Lee Snow, 21 years old was missing. The officer searched the area after not locating the missing inmate and notified Sheriff’s Office Dispatch and Eureka Police Department. The officer determined Snow had left the wood lot less than ten minutes prior. Snow had ninety three days left on his sentence.

Additional Officers responded to the area to search for Snow, including a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Sergeant and Correctional Officer.  At approximately 1:30 p.m., the Sergeant and Correctional Officer located Snow walking near Del Norte and I street, Eureka. The officers confronted Snow who immediately ran away from them. The officers pursued and caught Snow at Humboldt and I Street, Eureka. Snow was arrested on new charges of escape and resisting arrest.

Snow was originally in custody for violation of probation. Snow was on probation for burglary and possession of stolen property. He is being held without bail.

Anyone with information for the Sheriffs Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriffs Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriffs Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.

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ORIGINALLY: LoCO has received multiple reports that Eureka’s Zane Middle School was briefly on lockdown earlier today, but all is well now. 

According the Eureka Police Department’s Brittany Powell, a call came in at 12:14 p.m. indicating that an inmate working at the Humboldt County Sheriff Department’s SWAP yard had walked away from the site and fled into the brush. The inmate, Robert Snow, is still being sought.

A call to the Zane’s office staff confirms that they have lifted the lockdown. Recess, anyone?