Bathke involved in another escape

Just before 11 a.m. on Friday, May 26, 2017, a van full of nine inmates from the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud was hijacked by the inmates in the Lino Lakes area — just 66 miles from St. Cloud.

The inmates were being escorted to other facilities such as the prison at Lino Lakes.  All escapees were apprehended in various communities throughout the Twin Cities area by 4:25 p.m. on Friday, May 26.

Dylan Bathke, 21, was among the nine inmates fleeing custody.

Journal readers may remember Bathke escaped from the Fillmore County Jail in the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 5, 2016.  Law enforcement apprehended Bathke at approximately 4:20 p.m. that same day.

At that time, Bathke was facing multiple charges involving stealing a pickup truck and ramming a police cruiser.

Since the July 2016 escape, under the direction of Fillmore County Sheriff Tom Kaase, all concerns relating to that incident have been addressed.

After the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Bathke with the assistance of the Rochester Police Department Narcotics and Street Crimes Unit, an investigation was conducted by independent agencies such as the Winona County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

The investigation confirmed that there was a failure of staff to follow established policies and procedures that have been developed and approved by the Department of Corrections.

According to Sheriff Tom Kaase, the elusive Bathke exited the facility “through an unsecured door and a faulty designed security perimeter fence.”  And, while Kaase indicated the security perimeter fence was faulty by design, had policies and procedures been followed, the opportunity for Bathke to escape would have not been possible.

Since that incident, the policies and procedures have been revisited with all staff.  In addition, disciplinary action was administered in accordance with policy and procedures.  Kaase also shared that the faulty design in the security perimeter fence has been corrected.

Sheriff Kaase pointed out that “the Fillmore County Jail is a safe and secure facility, when operated in accordance with our policies and procedures.  As with any operation, there is always room for improvement in the efficiency of operations and security, and we strive for that every day for the citizens of our county.”