An inmate who escaped from a Hawaii prison on Friday became the victim of a serious hit-and-run shortly afterward, authorities said.
Matthew J. Ornelas Jr. fled the Kauai Community Correctional Center just after 1 a.m., according to the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Shortly after, he was driving along Kuhio Highway when he was struck by a car.
Correctional officers eventually found Ornelas about 100 yards from the prison. He was seriously injured in the incident and was subsequently hospitalized.
He remains in critical condition and remained in police custody Friday.
Family of five, including three children, found dead after reported murder-suicide in Hawaii
Matthew J. Ornelas Jr. escaped from the Kauai Community Correctional Center just after 1 a.m. Friday, according to the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
According to Kauai Police, authorities are continuing to search for the driver of the vehicle, which fled before first responders arrived.
Department spokeswoman Rosemary Bernardo said Ornelas fled after climbing a fence with razor wire.
$13 million invested in restoration of Hawaii’s most visited beach
He is serving a sentence for promoting dangerous drugs, according to the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
A view of the Waikiki district skyline in Honolulu, December 31, 2014. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
Public defender John Calma said he is representing Ornelas on the probation violation charge, but declined to comment on the flight allegation.
According to the center’s website, Kauai Community Correctional Center has approximately 130 beds and, in addition to providing prison functions, “offers education, substance abuse treatment, religious counseling, cultural arts, and furlough programs. ”.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Kauai Community Correctional Center has approximately 130 beds. (Marie Eliel Hobro/Washington Post)
The Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says on its website that its facilities are “aging” and hampering its ability to “reduce recidivism and promote safer communities.”
“Hawaii’s correctional facilities are aging, which is hindering the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s vision from achieving its vision. Continued investment is critical,” the website says.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
