Posted on 02/07/2014 2:03:07 PM PST by nickcarraway
Bozeman police admit a mistake led to the escape of rape suspect Kevin Briggs on Saturday.
"The officers failed and there's no other way to say it than that," said Deputy Police Chief Rich McLane.
It started with a report of a sexual assault near MSU early Saturday morning; Bozeman police responded and quickly arrested Briggs, 28 years old.
Briggs has a history of escapes and is a registered sex offender. Even with that knowledge, officers took Briggs to an interview room in the Gallatin County Law & Justice Center where he was left alone for about 15 minutes.
McLane said, "Somewhere there was a miscommunication between an officer who was handing over this person to be watched, and an officer accepting the responsibility for watching this person."
While he was alone, Briggs took off out of the room, out of the police department, and out the front door, all while shackled and handcuffed.
McLane says this kind of mistake won't happen again: "Shame on us if we don't change it, shame on us, we have a duty to protect the community from dangerous people, especially if we know they're dangerous. We can't have this happen again, and it won't happen again."
McLane says finding Briggs is the department's top priority.
Briggs is approximately 5'5", medium build, wearing a black or gray hooded coat with semi-white stripes, green pants, and black shoes; he was last known to be wearing a belly belt with handcuffs and leg shackles.
Police say that he should be considered dangerous and potentially armed.
If you see Briggs or have information about his location, call your local law enforcement agency.
According to the Montana Correctional Offender Network website, Briggs has convictions on charges of rape, burglary, and kidnapping in Lewis & Clark County dating back to 2003.
Pops taught there from ~70-74 and ran the ROTC program when fresh back from Vietnam. Went to a few ball games, hunted for nightcrawlers in the university lawn with red lensed flashlights for fishing trips before hand.
Loved that place, they still have 20 acres up there outside of town...
if it is in direct line of sight of the dorm overlooking 7 tell them to keep their blinds drawn and their powder dry...like i need to tell them how to survive in bozeman...
MtSU seemed to be straight until ~2009.
Oh, when you said Vandals, I thought you were talking UofI over in Moscow...
i am a vandal
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