UPDATE: Search is on for 3 Natchitoches Parish escapees

Authorities in Natchitoches Parish are searching for three inmates who escaped Saturday night from the parish Detention Center, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The escapees were not armed at the time of the escape, but “they should be considered dangerous, and extreme caution should be used if seen,” the Sheriff’s Office website says in a news release.

The escapees are Willie E. Ethridge, 34; Michael Elliot, 24; and Walshea Mitchell, 35.

On Monday afternoon, deputies reported that the escapees may be traveling in a stolen, white 2015 Ford F-250 Super-Duty 2-door, 2-wheel drive pickup truck with Louisiana license number 240146.

The truck has black bumpers, a black grill, a chrome tool box in the bed and number 55 on the front right and left fenders. The vehicle was stolen Sunday from a work site in Natchitoches.

The vehicle has been entered into the National Crime Information Center as stolen, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The Natchitoches Parish chief of corrections reported that the three inmates apparently escaped from Dorm B about 10:16 p.m. Saturday and then jumped over two rolls of razor-wire fence.

A search for the escapees is being conducted by the Sheriff’s Office and Natchitoches Police Department.

Ethridge was serving Department of Correction time until 2037 for one count of attempted second-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery, the release said.

Ethridge is 6 feet tall, weighs 185 pounds, has black hair and has brown eyes. His last known address was on Drew Street in Monroe.

Elliot was serving DOC time until 2019 for illegal possession of stolen things and theft of a motor vehicle, authorities said.

Elliot is 6 feet 2, weighs 180 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes. His last known address was in Georgetown, South Carolina.

Mitchell was serving DOC time until 2035 for armed robbery with a weapon and attempted armed robbery, according to the release.

Mitchell is 5 feet 10, weighs 150 pounds, has black hair and has brown eyes. His last known address was on Center Street in Ruston.

Two of the escapees were last seen wearing black sweatpants and black, long-sleeve sweatshirts, while the third escapee was last seen wearing gray sweatpants and a gray, long-sleeve shirt.

Deputies say anyone spotting any of the escapees or the stolen pickup truck should call 911, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-352-6432, the Natchitoches Police Department at 318-352-8101 or the nearest law enforcement agency. Authorities say citizens should not approach the escapees if they see them.

All three escapees have been entered into the National Crime Information Center as “Wanted Persons-Escape with Caution,” the release said.

The investigation is continuing by the NPSO Corrections Division and Criminal Investigations Division.