Escaped Inmate From Dade C.I. Possibly In Tampa Area

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FLORIDA CITY (CBSMiami/AP) — An inmate at a state prison in Miami-Dade County is on the loose after he escaped on Halloween.

Saturday, officials said he is possibly now in the Tampa area where he has family.

Florida Department of Corrections officials say Ronald B. McCoy escaped Friday afternoon from the Dade Correctional Institution in Florida City.

Prison records show that McCoy was serving a life sentence stemming from a string of robbery and assault charges in 2003.

Details about how McCoy escaped were not immediately available. Messages left Saturday for a Department of Corrections spokeswoman were not immediately returned.

Anyone with information about McCoy's whereabouts are urged to call local law enforcement or the Department of Corrections at 850-922-6867.

The prison has been under scrutiny and its warden was fired after the death of a mentally ill inmate.

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