V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron said Tuesday that law enforcement officers were focusing their search for an escapee from the Golden Grove Correctional Facility on St. Croix.
Stridiron, who oversees the Bureau of Corrections, said members of the public had called in sightings of the man, Bradley "Hurtie" Maxwell.
"There are people who may have seen him in the area of St. Croix. We’re getting some leads," Stridiron said.
Maxwell, 22, is believed to have slipped away from Golden Grove sometime Sunday evening. It was his second escape since he was convicted of murdering John Alfred Adams at Wet Willy’s bar on St. Thomas in 1997. The first was in 1998, when he escaped from the Sub Base jail annex. He was on the loose for about two weeks then before being recaptured.
Maxwell is serving 30 years for the murder and another five for the escape.
The convict, who is considered dangerous, is black, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 175 pounds and wears his hair in short, twisted locks. While at large during his escape on St. Thomas, Maxwell shaved his head to alter his appearance.
Stridiron said prison officials, with the aid of other officers, have now created a dragnet to ensure a thorough search of the Big Island.
"Later today or tomorrow we hope to capture him," he said Tuesday.
