Search for escaped inmate Richard Campos leads to Calumet City mall

CALUMET CITY, Ind. (WLS) -- Authorities swarmed the River Oaks Center in suburban Calumet City on Monday afternoon looking for an escaped Indiana inmate.

Police said they were contacted by the Lake County Indiana Sheriff's Department about Richard N. Campos, 22, who may have been spotted at the mall. It is unclear what led authorities to the mall.

The mall remains open. The view from Chopper 7 around 4 p.m. Monday showed at least half a dozen police cars here, including personnel from the Lake County Indiana Sheriff's Department.

Earlier Monday, the sheriff's department put out an alert saying it was searching for that man who escaped from the jail on Saturday.

According to the alert, Campos was last seen working as a trustee assigned to laundry detail at the jail complex in Crown Point. The sheriff's office said he walked away around noon Saturday.

Investigators said initial findings show human error may have led to his escape. They said it was likely planned ahead of time and that his girlfriend, Elysia Marie Jeronimo, 20, of Hammond, may have helped him.

Local law enforcement have been informed of the inmate's escape and asked to be on the lookout for him. Campos is about 5ft. 3 in. tall, weighs around 135 pounds and has a rose/diamond tattoo on his left hand. Jeronimo is about 5 ft. 1 in. tall and weighs around 140 pounds.

The sheriff's office said Campos, of East Chicago, is a known member of the Latin Kings and has had run-ins with law enforcement before.

Anyone with information regarding Campos' whereabouts should call the Lake County Sheriff's Department at 219-755-3400. To share information anonymously, call the Report-A-Crime Hotline at 1-800-750-2746.