Escaped Killer May Have Stolen Pickup, Rifle
From Times Staff Reports
A convicted murderer serving a life term escaped from a state prison at Beaumont, and was believed to have stolen a pickup that had a rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition inside.
Harold Laird, 26, was convicted of killing a man during a 1992 beating and shooting. His disappearance was discovered a few hours after breakfast at the facility.
Authorities said he broke through a light fixture to get into a utility area behind a wall, reached the roof, jumped to the ground and fled directly beneath a guard tower.
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