An inmate who escaped custody in Morgan County last week has been arrested in Greeley, law enforcement officials said. Byron Roth was taken into custody on Tuesday, Oct. 27, after Greeley police acted on an anonymous tip.
Roth was being moved from a halfway house to Weld County when he got away. He was not handcuffed or restrained in any way during the transport. At around 10 a.m. on Oct. 16, the car carrying him from Sterling in Logan County pulled over just outside Fort Morgan after Roth said he felt ill. When the vehicle stopped, he ran, and the Morgan County Sheriff said he had not been seen since.
Greeley police said the tip led officers to conduct surveillance at an apartment complex in the 600 block of 23rd Avenue. There they saw an associate of Roth, 35-year-old Amanda Loos, leave an apartment. She was arrested on outstanding warrants during a traffic stop. A follow-up investigation confirmed that Roth was hiding inside the apartment.
Roth surrendered peacefully. He was booked into the Weld County Jail on outstanding charges of aggravated robbery, as well as charges stemming from the escape and a controlled substance warrant.
The way the escape was reported has drawn scrutiny. Denver7 Investigates learned from Colorado State Patrol that the agency was alerted more than an hour after Roth ran, when someone from Advantage Treatment Center emailed asking for a warrant. State Patrol said it has no record of anyone calling 911 after the escape.
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office, which covers the area where the escape happened, warned the public on Facebook at around noon that day. According to State Patrol, however, the official law enforcement alert did not go out until after 4 p.m., nearly six hours after Roth fled.
The state's Division of Criminal Justice is involved. It has required Advantage Treatment Center to review the incident and its policies, and it is also considering opening an investigation of its own.
In an email, Advantage Treatment Center described the trip as a "routine transport." Asked why law enforcement was not involved, the company declined to comment further. Its statement said Roth was taking part in a community corrections program at its Sterling location and that it hoped he would be "quickly apprehended by the authorities and remanded to custody, where he will face charges for his conduct." The company added that it is reviewing its internal policies and procedures and will share the results with oversight agencies and local law enforcement.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Officer Kevin Douglas at [email protected]. The investigation is ongoing.
