Be on the lookout for this man. Convicted child rapist Eric Eugene Hartwell escaped from the Colorado group home where he was serving parole. Apparently he cut off his ankle monitor. Hartwell was convicted of raping a six-year-old child in 1991, and attempted indecent liberties in 1995 after attempting to rape a teenager. This isn't the only time Hartwell has escaped authorities, either. He's supposed to serve a lifetime of supervised parole, but he keeps running.
In March, 2009 Hartwell was caught in Washington State for failing to register as a sex offender. After a week at a halfway home he cut his monitor and ran to Texas. He was caught there, convicted again of failing to register, and was sentenced to 5 years in prison followed by a lifetime supervised parole sentence. Now Hartwell is at large again.
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Authorities are working to find Hartwell "as quickly as possible," says Colorado Corrections Department spokesman Roger Hudson. "This is an active investigation of an absconder that we are hoping not to send even farther underground." That should send a chill down parents' spines.
Hartwell was last seen wearing a puffy coat, blue t-shirt, and blue jeans.
It's hard enough to capture and convict child rapists, but when someone escapes -- especially someone who is a repeat offender, it's just plain scary. Hartwell seems tenacious about avoiding authorities -- and any supervision, for that matter. You can't help wondering, now, if he's planning to attack another child. How long before he tries something else?
All we can hope is that news of his escape will follow him wherever he goes, and his image will look familiar to someone, somewhere. It's often ordinary people like you and me who help find criminals who are at large. I certainly hope someone spots Hartwell soon.
How long do you think before Hartwell is caught again?
Image via CNN