One prison escapee caught, one still at large

One of two men who escaped from a state prison in Lincoln Friday was caught Saturday afternoon.

Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister announced shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday that Armon Dixon was caught, but not before he assaulted at least one woman. Dixon was serving time in the Lincoln Correctional Center for sexual assault and using a deadly weapon to commit a felony.

Bliemeister said Saturday afternoon the other escapee, Timothy Clausen, was still at large, (which the State Patrol reiterated at 4:16 p.m.). “At this time we don’t know the current whereabouts of Timothy Clausen. But we want to assure the residents of Lincoln, Nebraska that one of the two individuals we have been seeking is in custody and no longer a threat,” Bliemeister said.

Nebraska Corrections Director Scott Frakes said Dixon and Clausen, who was serving time for sexual assault of a child, escaped Friday morning on a truck from the Lincoln Correctional Center. He said the escape was the first from a Nebraska state prison since one from the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in 2004. “My agency failed to carry out its mission of keeping the public safe. There are no excuses for this lapse,” Frakes said. “At this point, we know that failure to follow established basic security practices contributed to these escapes.”

Frakes said the prison had a full complement of 50 protective services staff when the escape occurred. Eleven of those were on overtime, of whom four had been held over after their eight hour shift, and the others were working on their day off, Frakes said.

Clausen, still at large, is an African American male, five feet eight inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds with brown eyes. He’s considered dangerous and people are asked to call 911 if they see him.

Editor’s note: NET News will have a Signature Story on problems in Nebraska’s prisons and attempts to fix them Monday at 6:45 and 8:45 Central during Morning Edition and 4:45 central on All things considered. And an NET News half hour special “Nebraska Prison Reform” will air Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Central Time on NET Radio, and at 8 p.m. Central on NET Television.