PARCHMAN, Miss. (AP) -- Law enforcement agencies in the Mississippi Delta are on alert for a convicted killer who managed to escape from the state penitentiary at Parchman by cutting holes in a perimeter fence.
Mississippi Department of Corrections officials said inmate Larry Hentz was discovered missing about 9:45 a.m. Monday. Officials said the holes were found in a fence at Unit 24-B, where Hentz was housed.
Hentz, 54, was serving life without parole for crimes including burglary dating back 20 years. He was sentenced for murder in Tate County in 1983, Corrections Department records show.
Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said officers were unsure what type of device was used to cut the fence or how Hentz got it.
“We have reason to believe someone on the outside helped him with transportation,” Epps said. “We have been running dogs, road blocks and helicopters to find him.”
Hentz is the first inmate to escape from the sprawling Delta prison since May 2000, when John Woolard, serving life for murder and kidnapping, and Roy Harper, serving 88 years for armed robbery, escaped from Parchman’s maximum security unit. The two were captured in Indiana a month after their escape.
Epps said the Hentz escape investigation included listening to recordings of phone calls made by Hentz and his brother. Roger Hentz is serving time at Parchman on drug offenses.
Authorities said Larry Hentz should be considered dangerous.