Halfway House Driver Misses Escape Alert

Colorado authorities confirmed that a man escaped from a halfway house transport vehicle on Oct. 16, and the state is now reviewing how the incident was handled. The driver of the vehicle was unaware of the suspect's criminal charges, and local law enforcement did not receive an official alert for hours after he ran.

Byron Roth was in the custody of Advantage Treatment Center in Sterling when the center drove him to Weld County. Roth faced charges for aggravated robbery and felony menacing. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office stated that Roth was not handcuffed or restrained during the drive. At approximately 10 a.m., the car stopped outside Fort Morgan after Roth said he felt ill. He ran from the vehicle and has not been seen since.

Colorado State Patrol learned of the escape only after an employee from Advantage Treatment Center emailed them more than an hour later to request a warrant. No one called 911 at the scene. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office posted a warning on Facebook around noon, but the official law enforcement alert did not go out until after 4 p.m. That timeline placed the formal alert nearly six hours after Roth fled.

Stacey Hervey, a law enforcement professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said the delay missed a prime window for a search. She noted that no law enforcement agency in Weld, Logan, or Morgan County knew a person in custody was being moved. Hervey questioned why the treatment facility did not contact police to handle the transport themselves.

In Weld County, an arrest affidavit says Roth stole shoes from a business in February and told an employee he had a gun when confronted. The document also notes that Roth is known to carry weapons. The Weld County District Attorney's Office stated that transporting people with warrants is solely the responsibility of sworn officers. They were not informed that Roth was on his way to the county.

Advantage Treatment Center described the move as a routine transport in an email. The company declined to comment further on why law enforcement was not involved. The center is partially funded by taxpayers, and the state Division of Criminal Justice is requiring an internal review. The state may also launch its own investigation and force the center to take corrective action.

The Division of Criminal Justice requires Advantage Treatment Center to review the incident and its policies. The center plans to share the results of that review with oversight agencies and local law enforcement.