State prison inmate escapes in San Luis
Man walks off work detail
SAN LUIS – An inmate from the Arizona State Prison Complex-yuma escaped from work detail at a San Luis park Monday morning.
The inmate has been identified as Jonathan Perryman, 46. He has blue eyes and a large tattoo on his neck, according to San Luis Police Department spokesman Lt. Marco Santana.
“This prisoner was part of a working crew that comes over and does some cleaning here for the city as a part of a (community service) program that San Luis has,” Santana explained.
Perryman was working alongside fellow trustee prisoners at Joe Orduno Park, 965 Park Ave., when he escaped during a restroom break.
“(The service program’s) been successful in the past,” Santana said. “This is the first time I’ve heard about an inmate escaping.”
According to a press release from the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR), Perryman walked away from the work crew at approximately 9:20 a.m. Monday. He was last seen walking into a restroom to wash paint off his hands by a work crew checker and a City of San Luis civilian supervisor.
“ADCRR has notified all local law enforcement agencies as well as the U.S. Marshals Office, and U.S. Customs & Border Protection. ADCRR investigations and apprehension staff, including ASPc-yuma staff, are actively searching for Perryman,” ADCRR said.
In response to an inmate loose in the area, all schools at the Gadsden Elementary School District went into a soft lockdown per the district’s Facebook account.
San Luis High School went into a shelter in place at approximately 11:25 a.m. By noon, the Yuma Union High School District announced that the high school remained in shelter but students were to be released at their regularly scheduled dismissal of 1 p.m. in normal pickup locations. Student walkers uncomfortable walking home were permitted to remain in a multi-purpose room until their pickup arrived. SLPD was also visible around the school during dismissal time.
According to the Somer
ton Police Department (SPD), Perryman was spotted at the Somerton Catholic Church, 310 E. Spring St., in the afternoon. SPD advised people to be on the lookout for a man on foot wearing a gray hoodie and faded black jeans.
As of 3:30 p.m. on Monday, he was allegedly last sighted at the 400 block of West Cano Street. Residents were advised to stay out of the area as multiple officers in unmarked police vehicles were out searching.
“After assisting with multiple searches in residential areas and responding to multiple sightings, we were able to determine that it was not the inmate,” SPD said, noting the inmate is believed to have left the city of Somerton.
Somerton School District also put its schools on a soft lockdown and advised parents to not come or call the schools. According to SPD, by 5:38 p.m., all schools were safely dismissed without incident.
According to ADCRR, Perryman was sentenced on Nov. 16, 2022, out of Maricopa County for misconduct involving weapons. He has no history of violence or prior violent convictions and at the time of the walk away, there was no report of any incidents.
“We ask everyone in the surrounding areas to remain vigilant,” wrote ADCRR in a statement. “Do not attempt to approach or engage the incarcerated individual on your own. If you see anything suspicious, please call 911 or Silent Witness.”
According to the ADCRR website, Perryman was classified as a minimum risk at the Arizona State Prison Complex-yuma La Paz Unit, with a projected eligible release date of June 3, 2026.