Two prisoners at Columbia Correctional Institution have escaped. Portage police reported the escape early Thursday morning and said 46-year-old Thomas Deering and 36-year-old James Newman were believed heading towards Madison. They encouraged the public to stay indoors and make sure their homes and vehicles were locked.
James Newman (WI DOC)
Thomas Deering (WI DOC)
Online court records show Newman was convicted in Jackson County in 2016 of kidnapping, escape and theft, Deering was convicted of kidnapping, burglary and second-degree sexual assault in Milwaukee County in 2001.