An inmate who escaped from a Green Island (綠島) prison yesterday afternoon has been arrested after being found around the prison staff dormitory that night, local police said.
The inmate, 40-year-old convicted drug dealer Wang Tien-you (王天佑), escaped from Lyudao Prison on Taitung County's Green Island, but was found on the second floor of the prison staff dormitory and arrested by police, who had launched a search of the island for him.
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In a telephone interview this morning, Yang Jui-hsing (楊瑞興), secretary of the prison, said Wang was found in a conspicuous location, seemingly intent on being found.
While he wore a heavy jacket and a wool cap when he escaped, he was only wearing a sweatshirt and shorts when he was found and appeared cold and hungry, Yang said.
The escape was not planned, according to the preliminary findings of a prison investigation, and Wang is currently being held in a cell with other inmates and his emotions have become stable, police said.
He would be sent to the Taitung District Prosecutors' Office for questioning, weather permitting, they said.
According to Yang, Wang locked two wardens inside a prison warehouse, climbed over a wall and escaped into the 15km² island's hills at about 2:40pm yesterday.
After nightfall, he returned to the prison area and hid in the staff dormitory, which is just outside the high prison walls.
The authorities speculated that Wang may have been stressed over his latest application for parole.
With his release still 22 months away, and already denied parole twice, he had applied for parole a third time and might have been worried about being denied a third time, Yang said.
Wang was sentenced to four years and seven months in prison for selling ketamine and possession of PMMA in Kaohsiung, police data showed.
He began serving his term in March 2022 and was scheduled for release in October next year.
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