After evading capture for four years, an inmate from Nebraska who disappeared during a one-hour church pass in May 2019 has been apprehended. Antonio Collier, who was serving time for a felony burglary conviction, was found 800 miles away in Roseville, Michigan. He was arrested on a felony escape warrant on June 10 and is now awaiting extradition back to Nebraska.
Antonio Collier, an inmate at a Nebraska minimum-security prison, was granted a one-hour pass to attend church in May 2019. However, he failed to return to the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln, where he was serving a sentence for felony burglary. Law enforcement located Collier in Roseville, Michigan, after four years on the run and arrested him on a felony escape warrant. The circumstances surrounding his discovery and arrest have not been disclosed. Collier is currently held in Macomb County Jail, awaiting extradition back to Nebraska.
Collier’s original sentence for burglary, which began in April 2018, was expected to end in September 2024. However, he now faces an additional charge of prison escape, a class three felony in Nebraska. If convicted, this offense carries a two-to-four-year prison sentence. Once he completes his initial sentence, Collier will be prosecuted for the escape charge. The Nebraska jail from which he absconded is one of two community custody facilities in the state that allow low-level inmates to participate in work opportunities, attend school, and go to religious services without supervision.
The case of Antonio Collier sheds light on the challenges faced by correctional facilities in managing low-level inmates in minimum-security prisons. While these facilities provide certain privileges, such as temporary passes for religious activities, incidents like Collier’s escape raise concerns about the effectiveness of supervision and security measures. The apprehension of Collier after four years demonstrates the persistence of law enforcement agencies in tracking down fugitives and bringing them to justice.