Matthew James Wright, A Dangerous Felon, Escaped in Idaho

DANGEROUS FELON ESCAPES
Mar 14, 2006
By Jeremy Johnson

A dangerous man has escaped from a local jail and U.S. marshals are on the lookout.

Matthew James Wright, an inmate of the Fort Hall Detention Center, removed part of a ceiling, entering an unsecured area then quickly escaped. Wright is considered a dangerous federal fugitive and he has a violent criminal history.

The Fort Hall Detention Center is missing an inmate. Matthew James Wright escaped late Monday night after being arrested on a federal warrant for violating conditions of his supervised release. He was also charged with attempted flight and assault on officers. Wright was recently released from federal prison, where he was serving time for felony possession of a firearm. Marshals say Wright has a violent criminal history and should not be approached.

Lt. Eric Dayley, Idaho State Police: "He is a very dangerous person and we would like to apprehend him as quickly as possible. He needs to be in jail. So we're putting out a concerted effort to apprehend him and put him back in jail."

Wright is described as an American Indian or Alaskan native. He is 32 years old, 5'10", and weighs around 200 pounds. He has brown eyes and hair. Some of Wright's most identifying characteristics are his left foot dragging when he walks, his numerous tattoos up and down his arms, as well as the words 'West Side' tattooed across his forehead. Marshals are looking for this escaped felon.

Lt. Eric Dayley, Idaho State Police: "They search places where he may be, places he had been before, or following tips and leads, talking to associates and people that might know his whereabouts - family members or whatever, and just basically doing what detectives do."

While law enforcement searches for Wright, they say their biggest help is the eyes and the ears of the public.

While hunting for Wright today, marshals located his mother, Jo Lynn Edmo, who they arrested for possession of methamphetamines. Her son was nowhere to be found. If you see Matthew James Wright, call 9-1-1 immediately.

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