ESCAPED INMATES: Chad Tipton (left) — Steven Roche (right)
YAKIMA COUNTY — The hunt is on for two inmates — one an accused shooter — who the Department of Corrections says escaped from the Yakima County Correctional Center in Yakima on Tuesday morning.
Corrections officers believe the two inmates — Chad Tipton and Steven Roche — escaped through an unlocked door leading from an inside recreational yard to the outside. Officers say all indications are the door was left unlocked by a staff member who had access to facility keys.
Both were being housed at the jail as contract prisoners from Kootenai County, Idaho.
Chad Tipton:
- 31 years old
- 5’11”
- 170 pounds
- Blue eyes
- Brown hair with a brown beard and mustache.
- Tattoo of two clown masks on the right side of his neck under his right ear
- Last known address: Post Falls, Idaho
Tipton was in custody on Kootenai County, Idaho felony charges of for Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery and Possession of a Firearm as the result of an incident on December 15th in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho where Tipton was involved in a shooting. Chad Tipton has a tattoo of two clown masks on the right side of his neck under his right ear.
Steven Roche:
- 31 years old
- 6’1″
- 315 weighing pounds
- Blue eyes
- Red hair, beard and mustache
- Receding hairline
- Tattoo of his name on left shoulder
- Last known address: Spokane
Roche was in custody on Kootenai County, Idaho felony charges for multiple counts of Burglary, Grand Theft and Forgery.
If you spot them, or know where they’re hiding, call 911, The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office at (509) 574-2500 or 1-800-572-0490, or call an anonymous tip into Crime Stoppers at (509) 248-9980 or 1-800-248-9980, or on the internet at yakima.crimestoppersweb.com