NORMAN — A manhunt is under way for an inmate who escaped the Cleveland County Detention Center on Monday night.
Cleveland County Undersheriff Rhett Burnett said Rowdy Offield, 39, was last seen walking north from the county jail about 8:30 p.m. Monday. Offield was being held on robbery with weapons charges.
Burnett said Offield altered his appearance to pose as another inmate. Several inmates conspired with Offield to help him deceive jailers that he was an inmate whose bond had been posted. The other inmate was threatened to keep quiet.
“He shaved his head and facial hair to look like his cell mate,” Burnett said.
Officers spent Monday night and Tuesday following up on leads. U.S. Marshals, Cleveland County deputies and the District Attorney’s Street Crimes Task Force are conducting the manhunt.
“We’re running down as many leads as we can,” Burnett said.
Cleveland County Sheriff Joe Lester said the department is utilizing its resources to find Offield.
“We are currently using the U.S. Marshal’s Office, the District Attorney’s Street Crimes Task Force and local law enforcement to assist us in this search,” Lester said. “We have also began an in-house investigation to determine how to stop this from ever happening in the future.”
Burnett said Offield was transported from a Missouri prison to CCDC Oct. 15. He was serving time for robbery.
In June, prosecutors charged Offield with the July 2008 robbery of Wal-Mart, 601 12th Ave. NE, court records show. He had a preliminary hearing conference scheduled for Tuesday.
In August 2009, Norman Police Detective Jim Parks received information that a Missouri prison inmate wanted to speak with police about the robbery that happened a year earlier, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit stated Parks met with an inmate who told Parks specific details about the crime. The inmate said he received the information from another inmate.
However, the inmate refused to identify the robber. According to the affidavit, prison officials told Parks that Offield was the inmate’s cell mate.
In May, Parks learned that Offield was incarcerated at another Missouri prison. Offield told his case worker that he wanted to talk with Norman police about the Wal-Mart robbery, according to the affidavit.
Parks interviewed Offield, the affidavit stated. Offield said he lived and worked in Norman in summer 2008.
According to the affidavit, Offield admitted to the robbery and gave Parks specific details about the crime.
Burnett said Offield should be considered dangerous.
Offield weighs about 180 pounds and stands 5 feet and 9 inches tall. He has blue eyes.
He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, white thermal shirt, black pants and black and white tennis shoes.
Anyone who has information about Offield’s location should call the Cleveland County Sheriff’s office at 321-8600 and ask for a detective.
Meghan McCormick 366-3539 mmccormick@normantranscript.com
