Sheriff: Escapee could be ‘10 toes up’

• Oscar Herrera-Menjivar

Oscar Herrera-Menjivar

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A prisoner who escaped a transport bus outside Spencer on July 14 remains at large, and active searching is suspended while authorities wait for tips.

Authorities launched a widescale search for Oscar Antonio Herrera-Menjivar last Wednesday after two people spotted him near Dolton in Turner County.

Turner County Sheriff Byron Nogelmeier said his office canceled the search last Thursday after law enforcement didn’t find anything.

“If he didn’t find water or nourishment, I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns up 10 toes up,” Nogelmeier said. “In this heat, South Dakota summers are not very forgiving.”

Herrera-Menjivar escaped from the transport van because the driver went into a gas station for water and the guard fell asleep.

Herrera-Menjivar apparently headed south. Those who had contact with him after he escaped said he asked for directions to Denver.

Nogelmeier said in an earlier interview with The Daily Republic that Herrera-Menjivar is likely traveling at night and hiding out in out-buildings during the day. He urges residents to lock their house, building and vehicle doors, and to keep an eye on trees for the escapee.

Herrera-Menjivar is charged with the May 25 first-degree sexual assault of a child, a 14-year old girl that he allegedly met on Facebook.

Tags: man hunt, news, updates, region, crime, escape, fugitive, police