By Drew Volturo, Delaware State News
DOVER - An inmate in custody of the state Department of Correction remained on the loose after escaping Tuesday morning at the Kent County Courthouse moments before his trial was set to begin.
Myron D. Price, 28, of Ellendale, escaped at about 7:30 a.m. when two correction officers were transporting him and 12 other inmates from the Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown to Kent County Superior Court, said DOC spokeswoman Elizabeth Welch.
Mrs. Welch said Price, who is serving an eight-year sentence for trafficking cocaine, remained at large as of 1 p.m. today and is considered dangerous.
Anyone spotting Price should contact the police immediately and not approach him.
He is described as black, with a medium complexion, 5-foot-7, with a scar on his nose and right wrist and tattoos on his chest and upper arm.
DOC is offering a $500 reward for information leading to Price's capture.
There have been no confirmed sightings or evidence of Price's presence since a van reported stolen in Dover moments after his escape was recovered in Ellendale at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
However, Mrs. Welch said there have been three possible sightings or events that could be connected to Price:
l An employee at the Royal Farms in Milford at Del. 36 said she saw Price Tuesday. A store surveillance tape showed an individual matching Price's description.
l A white 1987 Cadillac DeVille was reported stolen from a garage at a home on Johnson Road in Lincoln.
l A suspect matching Price's description twice attempted to shoot a Laurel police officer and fled around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The gun did not discharge either time.
More than 50 officers from DOC continued to search for Price throughout the day in Sussex County, Mrs. Welch said.
Delaware State Police have been assisting in the manhunt, providing troopers and the department's helicopter, said agency spokesman Cpl. Jeffry Oldham.
Price was scheduled to appear in Superior Court for trial Tuesday on two counts of first-degree robbery, five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, three counts of aggravated menacing, two counts or wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony and one count of second-degree conspiracy.
He was being held at SCI in default of $450,000 cash only bail at the time of his escape.
If convicted of all charges, Price could face 167 years in prison, according to Delaware's Truth in Sentencing statute.
The charges stem from two liquor store robberies that occurred Jan. 15 in Frederica and Milford.
The prosecutor in the case, Deputy Attorney General James J. Kriner, was sick Tuesday and the trial likely would have been continued.
Superior Court President Judge Henry du Pont Ridgely issued a capias for Price's arrest and added $100,000 to his bail.
Mrs. Welch said that at approximately 7:30 a.m., two officers were transporting Price and 12 other inmates from SCI to the Dover courthouse for trial.
According to DOC, when the officers opened the van door to take the inmates into the prisoner entrance of the building, Price bolted. One officer chased him but was unable to catch him.
Mrs. Welch said Price was handcuffed and in ankle shackles before he was placed in the van in Georgetown.
She said DOC recovered a homemade tool fashioned from wire that the department believes Price used to unlock his leg restraints.
Price kept the shackles attached loosely around his legs to appear restrained, Mrs. Welch said. When the van door opened, he ran, and the restraints fell off shortly after he fled.
After his escape, Dover police said Price headed north toward Loockerman Street.
DOC officials said he broke into the Wesley United Methodist Church Preschool, Kindergarten and Day Care on Loockerman Street and removed his orange prison jumpsuit. He changed into jeans, a cream-colored shirt and a dark jacket.
Shortly after the escape, a 1990 white Ford Econoline van was reported stolen from a construction site on East Loockerman Street, across from City Hall.
The van was found abandoned at about 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Del. 16 and Del. 30 near Ellendale.
Staff writer Drew Volturo can be reached at 741-8296 or dvolturo@newszap.com
