At breakfast check on Friday morning, it was determined three inmates escaped from the Barry County jail, including one facing 10 felonies for an alleged drug and gun-related incident.

Christopher Blevins, of Golden; Lance Stephens, of Washburn; and Matthew Crawford, of Springfield, are considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of the escapees, they are asked to call 911 immediately. All three have been charged with escape of attempted escape from confinement and have no bond.

Danny Boyd, Barry County sheriff, said Blevins and Stephens were in one cell together, and Crawford was in another cell in another pod.

“Supposedly they got out Thursday night or Friday morning,” Boyd said. “I wasn’t notified until Friday at breakfast check. They punched holes in the top tier of the ceiling, then went through the top and crawled into the maintenance room. They went out that maintenance door that locks from the outside.”

Boyd said since the escape, deputies have followed up on about 15-20 leads a day in the four-state area, with nearly all coming up empty.

“We did find a truck that was stolen from a home on Y Highway that we think was part of this,” Boyd said. “That vehicle was found in Salina, Kan. We think they ditched it there and stole another.”

Authorities believe Blevins and Stephens are still working in concert, but Crawford has parted from the group.

Becuse of the multi-state nature of the investigation, Boyd said the U.S. Marshals are now the lead agency.

“Any time you have something that may go out of the county, and especially the state, e contact the U.S. Marshals,” Boyd said. “They have a lot of equipment and tech they can use to track guys out of state. They can pursue them in Kansas or wherever they go.

“We are doing the best we can to locate them and get them back detained. We are short-staffed and won’t rest of give up until they are found.”

Boyd said the manner in which the jailbreak occurred is also being addressed.

“We’ve covered the holes with boards and screwed them into the ceiling,” Boyd said. “All we can do is patch it the best we can. The County Commission is also looking to put something in the attic part to keep inmates from being up there.

“We have fixed this issue, and we are looking at other places with potential risk.”

Blevins was booked on April 4 and has a $75,000 cash-only bond. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance, four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, four counts of unlawful use of a firearm, resisting arrest and misdemeanor unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

In 2017, he and another woman were arrested after a two-week search and an alleged tri-state string of burglaries and auto thefts that ended with a manhunt in Shell Knob.

Stephens, who also has a $75,000 cash-only bond, was booked on May 16 and being held in the jail on three felony charges, delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a weapon. 

Crawford was booked on April 14 and has two pending cases, both for felony stealing $750 or more. Each case has a cash-only bond of $15,000.