Search for escaped inmate continues

Police continued to search for Roy Joseph Bieluch, 48, Wednesday evening after apprehending his female companion following Bieluch's escape from the Shoshone County Public Safety Facility on Tuesday night.

Rachel Johnson was taken into custody about 4 p.m. Wednesday on the south hill of Wallace, according to information released by Shoshone County Sheriff Mitch Alexander. The sheriff said before Johnson was arrested, she was seen with a male - believed to be Bieluch - in her vehicle.

According to information released by Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, Bieluch was being held at the facility on several charges including burglary and malicious injury to property.

While at the facility, Bieluch was a worker inmate - assigned to clean, assist the cooks and serve food among various other duties. Around 8 p.m., he gained access to a closet that led to the crawl space in the ceiling of the building. The crawl space led to the main lobby of the sheriff's office.

Upon exiting the vent in the front lobby, he allegedly stole an employee's purse and escaped the building on foot via the front door.

Security footage also shows him running into an employee of the office prior to leaving the facility.

Police believed Bieluch was with his girlfriend, Johnson, who possibly picked him up after he escaped.

Sheriff Alexander and the sheriff's office have no leads on where the inmate could have gone. Alexander noted, though, that this isn't the first time they've had to track Bieluch.

One of his prior theft charges led police officials into a neighboring state to catch him.

"Last time he was in possession of a stolen vehicle, Shoshone County had to travel to Whitefish, Mont. to catch him," Alexander said.

Many questions have been raised on how Bieluch was able to escape. Alexander stated that a lack of funding contributed to the escape.

"The worker inmate program is a vital part of the jail operations and if we were to eliminate this program we would need to hire four additional full-time employees for the jail, which is unlikely to happen, given the county's current financial issues," Alexander said.

The sheriff also noted that the facility, built in 1972, is far from meeting today's standards.

Not only is the building said to have structural deficiencies, a lack of funding led to two jail positions being cut in 2008, Alexander said.

Since that time, the positions haven't been restored and that leaves the jail without adequate staffing to keep two detention deputies on each shift.

The sheriff's office will be working with the county commissioners to correct the structural deficiencies that have been identified with the escape, but they will be trying to get back into compliance with jail standards on the issues of staffing.

All surrounding law enforcement agencies including the Kellogg, Pinehurst and Osburn police departments and the Idaho State Police have been notified and are on the lookout for Bieluch. Additionally, Two Bear Air - a helicopter unit from Flathead County - was called in to assist in the search, and the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office sent a special response team.

A nationwide arrest warrant was also issued with a bond of $250,000.

Until Bieluch is apprehended, residents are encouraged to keep their doors locked and to report all suspicious activity.

If anyone has information about Roy Joseph Bieluch they are urged call Capt. Holly Lindsey at (208) 556-1114, ext. 1 or 911.