Escaped Lino Lakes inmate arrested Thursday by DOC’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit
Gerald Allan Downs (Minnesota Department of Corrections)
UPDATE 03/02/23: Escaped inmate Gerald Allen Downs was arrested Thursday afternoon by the Minnesota Department of Corrections’ Fugitive Apprehension Unit, according to a news release.
He was arrested without incident near N. 23rd Ave. and N 3rd St. in Minneapolis. Minneapolis police and Minnesota State Patrol helped with the arrest.
Downs is currently in custody at Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater, the Department of Corrections said. He could face new charges for his escape, and anybody who knowingly helped him while he was a fugitive could be charged as well.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) is looking for wanted fugitive Gerald Allen Downs after he escaped Monday from the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Lino Lakes, according to a DOC spokesperson.
Downs, shown in the photo above, was serving community service in Blaine when he cut off his monitoring bracelet and left the worksite in a vehicle that was waiting for him, the DOC said.
While the DOC’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit searches for Downs and whoever may have helped him escape, anyone with information on his whereabouts should call 911 or 651-603-0026.
Court documents from Downs’ two most recent methamphetamine convictions describe him as a “career criminal” with multiple dozen felony convictions, although the DOC says his history is made up of non-violent offenses.
He received 52 months in 2021 for meth possession, as well as 71 months in 2020 for the same third-degree offense.
The DOC says anyone who knowingly helps Downs while he evades law enforcement could face criminal charges.
Click here for the latest update on his corrections status.