Officials are making efforts to improve security at Montezuma county and district court after several people have recently escaped from court while in custody, Sheriff Steve Nowlin said Tuesday.
“It can happen,” Nowlin said. “We need to have better security. Our job is to keep it safe.”
Law enforcement officials will be meeting with court administrators next week to discuss improvements that can be made at both court locations, he said. They will find a more secure space to hold people who have been convicted or remanded from court and are waiting to be transported to the detention center, he said.
“That should alleviate the problem and get that taken care of,” Nowlin said.
On Sept. 8, an 18-year-old man escaped district court while waiting to be taken to jail. He fled the courthouse and escaped by foot down a Cortez city street. A deputy stationed at the entrance of the courthouse lost sight of him, but a witness stated he saw “a kid running in a southwestern direction” from the building.
He jumped into a waiting vehicle, Nowlin said.
Samantha Lamke, 30, escaped from district court on Nov. 8 after being convicted of possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, according to a report from the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office.
She was apprehended several days ago, Nowlin said on Tuesday.
Only one security officer was on duty when Lamke escaped, Nowlin said. The department has money to pay for four total court security officers, with the county and state providing funding for two each. But Nowlin has applied for a state grant that would provide funding for two more, bringing the total to six.
