Update on correctional center walkaway Ricky Bauders

VINITA, Okla. – Oklahoma Department of Corrections staff and area law enforcement have been searching nonstop since Ricky Bauders walked away from Northeast Oklahoma Correctional Center on Tuesday.

Searchers last saw Bauders, 52, near the minimum-security prison for men at around 7:40 a.m. Wednesday. They believe he is still in the area.

Craig County Sheriff’s deputies, DOC K9 officers, other area law enforcement and a helicopter have been in pursuit of Bauders, who was serving a four-year Tulsa County sentence for second-degree burglary.

Bauders has previous convictions for grand larceny, drunk driving, drug possession and credit card fraud dating back to 1986.

He is described as white, 5-feet 9-inches tall, weighing about 189 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He has multiple tattoos, including of a skull on his right leg, a wolf on his back, and the words “daddy loves Jesse” on his neck.

The public should not approach Bauders or attempt to apprehend him. Anyone with information can call our escapee hotline at 866-363-1119 or email [email protected].

All calls and emails are confidential.

NOCC is a non-fenced facility located on the grounds of the former Eastern State Hospital and is home to more than 500 inmates, most of whom are nearing release.