Full Notification

A state prison inmate has been placed on escape status after failing to return to a minimum-security unit from his work release jobsite.

Inmate Lalo Montoya, age 34, was supposed to return to the Yankton Community Work Center following an appointment with his work release employer. Escape procedures were enacted when Montoya failed to return at the designated time.

Montoya is a Native American male. He is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

Montoya was serving a five-year, 10 month sentence for a possession of a controlled substance conviction out of Minnehaha County and a consecutive four-year sentence for keeping a place for use or sale of a controlled substance. Additional information is available on the offender locator on the Department of Corrections website at doc.sd.gov/adult/lookup/.

Anyone who sees Montoya or knows of his whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.

Failing to return to custody following an assignment or temporary leave constitutes second-degree escape, a Class 5 felony, and is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. South Dakota Codified Law 22-11A-5 states that any person who conceals
any prisoner knowing that the prisoner has escaped is guilty of a Class 5 felony.

There are more than 200 minimum-security inmates statewide assigned to the work release program.

Instructions:

Anyone who sees Montoya or knows of his whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.