Local, state and federal law enforcement officers continued at 11:45 a.m. today (Friday, July 12) their search for an inmate who escaped from Loxley Work Release Center two days ago.
The manhunt for 41-year-old Travis Wyatt Dawson, who grew up in Atmore, is currently focused on an area along the south end of Rockaway Creek Road, where tracking dogs reportedly lost his scent at a pond in the area.
City police and a city animal control officer set up a blockade at the junction of Rockaway, Deer Creek Road and Forest Hill Drive, while other police units were stationed along Forest Hill. State officers, reportedly from ALDOC, and at least one member of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were directed to the area of the pond around 11:40 a.m.
Residents of the area are urged to lock their doors and to be aware of any suspicious person they might see. Dawson was wearing a black t-shirt and black pants when he was last seen on Wednesday.
The escapee, who was serving a 20-year sentence for an Escambia County (Ala.) drug conviction, was reported missing from the minimum-security facility around 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Dawson, who is 6-feet-2 and weighs 220 pounds, was convicted in 2013 on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.
Anyone who sees the escapee is urged to not approach him or engage him in any manner, but to call (800) 831-8825 and report the sighting.
Photo: Don Fletcher
Mug shot courtesy ALDOC