LANSING, Kan. — Officials are asking the public to watch out after a convicted child molester escaped from the Lansing Correctional Facility early Wednesday morning.
Gary L. Furthmyer, 59, escaped from his minimum custody job assignment at the facility Steam Plant around 3 a.m., officials said.
Furthmyer is currently serving a six to 25 year sentence due to a 1985 conviction of Indecent Liberties with a Child, and Aggravated Failure to Appear.
According to prison records, Furthmyer has escaped from prison before, disappearing from a Louisiana prison in 1988 and spending nearly five years on the run before being arrested in Texas.
The Department of Correction says Furthmyer was put in a minimum security prison based on a review by the prison board, which took into account his age and the length of time since his original conviction.
However, those living and working close to the prison don’t understand the board’s decision.
“It bothers me. I mean there’s kids up and down my street all the time,” said Carl Lawson of Lansing. “How can this happen? That’s why it’s called a prison. You’re supposed to keep them in the prison not let them just walk off and be okay about it.”
Furthmyer was scheduled to be released in 2014.
Furthmyer is described as a white male with a light complexion and blue eyes, and weighing approximately 185 pounds.
All escapees are considered armed and dangerous. If anyone has information pertaining to the whereabouts of Gary Leslie Furthmyer, please call 911 or the Lansing Correctional Facility at 913-727-3235.
