A search has been launched to rearrest an elderly inmate who walked out of prison in Nevada, America at the weekend.
In a statement, the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) said that Joan Wenger, aged 69, walked walked away from Jean Conservation Camp in Jean just outside of Las Vegas.
Prison officials said they noticed that Wenger was missing when they conducted a 3am count on Saturday.
“Escape procedures were initiated, and search teams remain in effect,” the NDOC said in a statement.
The NDOC said Wenger was admitted at the NDOC on December 1, 2021 and was sentenced to 10 years for vehicle homicide.
“A retake warrant has been issued and anyone with information on the whereabouts of Wenger should immediately call 911,” said the NDOC.
According to Record-Courier, Wegner, who has a history of drunken driving, crashed and killed a woman in February 2020.
The publication said Wenger slammed into the back of the vehicle which had killed Laura Staugaard and her son.
Staugaard, aged 70, died after she was ejected from the vehicle.
Wegner was eventually arrested in connection with the collision in December 2020.
In court, she told the judge that she used the time to get her affairs in order in Colorado and Arizona by making sure her animals had a home.
“I wish every day that horrific deadly decision to drink and drive had never happened,” she was quoted saying at the time.
It was further reported that Wenger entered a plea with the prosecution and agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a recommendation of 10 to 25 years in prison.
In addition to her prison sentence, she was ordered to pay over R640,000 in compensation.
IOL News