Escapee from Community Correctional Center in Warren County caught at gas station -- on the phone

UPDATE @ 10:20 p.m.:  Mark Hokanson, the escapee from the Community Correctional Center in Warren County, was found at a Shell station in Monroe on the phone trying to place a call for a ride, sheriff's Sgt. Nick Marconi said.

SEE: Crime news headlines

That was just after 9 p.m. when a deputy, acting on one of a number of anonymous tips to the sheriff's office, walked in and spotted Hokanson. He turned away from the deputy and tried to walk out, but was apprehended at the gas station, 1280 Hamilton-Lebanon Road, without a confrontation, Marconi said.

The clerk at the business said Hokanson had been in the business about a half hour before the deputy arrived, the sergeant said.

Hokanson has been taken to the county jail, where he will be detained on an escape charge. He has an initial appearance in court on Thursday, the sergeant said.

UPDATE @ 9:23 p.m.:  The escapee has been apprehended, according to a report via Warren County sheriff's dispatch.

We're working to learn the details of Mark Hokanson's capture.

UPDATE @ 6:01 p.m.:  The escapee from the Community Correctional Center in Turtlecreek Twp. did so just hours after he was brought to the facility on Ohio 63, Warren County sheriff's Sgt. Nick Marconi said.

Mark A. Hokanson, 34, of Clermont County, climbed a fence topped with razor wire to make his escape. Marconi said. Facility officials noticed Hokanson missing about 4 p.m.

He was brought to CCC, a multi-county treatment facility for non-violent offenders, on a drug possession [heroin] conviction.

Hokanson is white, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, about 190 pounds. He has brown hair and a beard. He was last seen wearing green pants and green shirt (CCC uniform), with a white T-shirt underneath the green shirt.

Deputies have a K-9 unit tracking a possible scent and they have set up a perimeter that includes state Routes 63 and 741.

Marconi said there is no reason for alarm as the escapee is not believed to be armed or dangerous.

If you see him or see a man you believe could fit Hokanson's description, you are asked to call sheriff's dispatch, 513-695-2525.

INITIAL REPORT

We’re following reports of a man who escaped from the community correctional center in Lebanon Tuesday afternoon.

According to scanner traffic, deputies in Warren County are looking for a man who jumped through a fence at the facility on Ohio 63 before 5 p.m.

We’re working to learn more and we’ll update this page as we learn more.

For updates and more news click here to download our free apps.

About the Author