Authorities in the Pensacola area are asking for help finding an escaped work-release inmate.
The Florida Department of Corrections and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office are searching for Anthony Ray Barnes, who investigators say made a getaway on May 4 while he was supposed to be holding traffic signs on a work detail.
The sheriff's office says Barnes removed his ankle monitor after checking in to a state-run traffic work-release program and left. His disappearance was noticed around dinnertime, about 4.5 hours after he first arrived.
By 9 p.m., deputies had been called to help corrections workers with the search for him. They say his last known location was near the intersection of Mobile Highway and Boulder Street in Escambia County.
Barnes is described as a 6-foot-1 white man who is about 215 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He is balding and has several recognizable face tattoos.
Investigators say while it is likely he changed clothes, he may still have a Hi-Vis L30 jacket.
"Barnes has an extensive arrest record with multiple felony charges including battery, drug violations, and burglary," the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a statement. "He is currently serving time for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and fleeing and eluding from Santa Rosa County."
Deputies say he may be in Santa Rosa County with 25-year-old Dalton Dakota Ballard, who is also wanted by law enforcement. Anybody with information about either of their whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 850-433-STOP or the ECSO at 850-436-9620.
