By C1 Staff
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. – Residents are wondering why they weren’t notified when inmate Meren Thompson escaped.
WTSP reports that 70-year-old Fox Place resident Delbert Chase gave Thompson a ride, and was then attacked and carjacked.
Thompson is reported to have walked away from an inmate farm at the Manatee Correctional Complex; it’s only a 10-minute drive from Fox Place, which residents say is enough time to give them warning.
Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies say there is no protocol for reverse 911 alerts for things like this because the area is so rural.
Thompson is still at large, and described as 5’10”, 180 pounds with black and dark-colored eyes.
He was serving time for contempt of court from a domestic battery charge.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call MSO at 941-747-3011.