St. Louis police expanded their search Sunday for a 29-year-old inmate who escaped from the City Justice Center downtown by climbing through a ceiling and leaving the building through an alley.
Police identified the man as Maurio Thomas, who was being held without bond on two counts of first-degree burglary and two counts of first-degree sodomy or attempted sodomy involving an elderly woman.
Police spokesperson Mitch McCoy described Thomas as “extremely dangerous” and urged residents to lock their doors and secure their vehicles, garages and other outbuildings.
At a second briefing late Sunday morning, McCoy said investigators had received multiple tips and expanded their search across several neighborhoods. Federal and regional law enforcement agencies had joined the manhunt.
Police said Thomas was not armed when he escaped, but investigators could not rule out the possibility that he had obtained a weapon.
Officers responded to the jail about 1 a.m. Sunday after staff reported that an inmate had climbed into the ceiling. Police, firefighters and jail staff initially believed Thomas was still inside and tried to reach him.
But surveillance footage obtained about 3:15 a.m. showed Thomas outside the building at 1:15 a.m. Police believe he escaped through the ceiling into another part of the facility before exiting into an alley.
A police K-9 team tracked Thomas to 20th and Market streets before losing his scent. Surveillance cameras later captured him near Washington and Jefferson avenues at 1:41 a.m.
The search involves the department’s Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team, K-9 units, intelligence officers and surveillance cameras connected to its Real-Time Crime Center.
Thomas is accused of breaking into the same woman’s home and sexually assaulting her on Aug. 16 and Oct. 9. Police said he admitted to the crimes during questioning.
The city’s Department of Public Safety, which oversees the jail, said it is reviewing the circumstances of the escape, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Thomas is 5-foot-9 and weighs approximately 130 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark jacket or black shirt, dark pants or possibly gray shorts, and white shoes.
Police urged anyone who sees Thomas not to approach him and to call 911 immediately.