Manhunt continues for prisoner who escaped in Lake County

Law enforcement officers search for Alinton H. John

CLERMONT, Fla. – A prisoner escaped from a state correctional facility Thursday in Lake County, prompting a manhunt, sheriff's officials said.

However, deputies discontinued their search for the man, Alinton H. John, when they developed information that he was no longer in Lake County, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office on Thursday night.

There weren't any reported sightings of John in the county, either.

The Sheriff's Office said John, who's serving a 15-year sentence for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in connection with a 2008 Pine Hills case, escaped from the Lake Correctional Institution at 19225 U.S. Highway 27 near Clermont.

John, a minimum-custody inmate who has a projected release date of 2023, left his outside grounds work assignment without authorization, officials said. Inmates granted outside work detail are minimum or community custody inmates who have had no recent disciplinary issues, prison officials said.

According to Lake County sheriff's spokesman Jim Vachon, John is believed to have stolen a 2001 silver Toyota pickup with the Florida tag JHW C97. Vachon said there possibly was a gun in the vehicle, but the owner of the stolen car was not sure.

John, 34, was described as a black man, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 170 pounds. He has a tattoo of a footprint on the left side of his chest, officials said.

Deputies, K-9 units, the Florida Highway Patrol and other local police departments were involved in the search, Vachon said earlier.

The Lake Correctional Institution is 6 miles north of Clermont and houses a maximum capacity of 1,076 inmates, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

The facility was originally established as a migrant labor camp, but more recently housed a bait farm and beverage distribution warehouse, the DOC said. In 1973, it was converted to house adult male inmates, the department said.

According to state records, 324 staffers work at the facility.

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About the Authors:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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