A drug dealer walked out of prison and fled after claiming to be his sleeping cellmate who was about to be freed.
Brian Francisco Roman, 26, of Longview, Washington, escaped from the Cowlitz County jail US on Monday, April 17, after claiming to be his cellmate and being trusted by prison officers.
According to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, the two guys had comparable physical characteristics.
When police entered the cell to release the offender, “all three inmates in the cell were asleep,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Roman awoke after hearing the inmate’s name and “identified himself as that inmate and went with the corrections officers to be processed out of custody.”
Roman, who was first imprisoned for drug peddling, was astute enough to maintain the act by forging his roommate’s signatures on the discharge form. After completing his processing, Roman was given his roommate’s “clothing, keys and wallet, which contained identification and a debit card.”
He was spotted departing in a blue and white hoodie with the hood tucked down over his eyes, grey trousers, and slippers, as captured on surveillance tape.
“Corrections staff did not realise the wrong inmate had been released until the victim inmate contacted them to inquire about when he was to be released,” Troy Brightbill, Chief Criminal Deputy, stated in a press release.
Law enforcement was subsequently summoned to track down Roman, who remained on the run for one day before being apprehended on April 18. Sheriff Brad Thurman told DailyMail.com on Thursday, April 20 that he was taken back to Cowlitz from Columbia County jail this morning.
He is accused of second-degree eluding capture, first-degree criminal impersonation, forgery, and second and third-degree stealing.
According to Statista, almost 2,000 prisoners escaped from prison in 2019.
