Inmate who ‘walked away’ from Norfolk prison taken into custody, police say

NORFOLK, Mass. — An inmate who “walked away” from a Norfolk prison and had been on the lam for hours was taken into custody Tuesday night, according to authorities.

Kevin Michael O’Brien, 72, walked away from Pondville Correctional Facility at 1 Industries Drive in Norfolk, state Department of Correction (DOC) officials and Walpole Police said in posts on Facebook.

Several reverse 911 calls were put out to surrounding communities, urging area residents not to approach him.

Just before 7 p.m., Walpole Police confirmed O’Brien had been located and taken into custody at a Foxborough car dealership. Video from Boston 25 News shows O’Brien being walked to a police car.

WATCH: Video shows Norfolk inmate being taken into custody at Foxborough car dealership

DOC investigators say they’ve filed a charge of escape from a correctional facility against O’Brien in Wrentham District Court.

“The Massachusetts Department of Correction wants to thank all of the state and local law enforcement partners who worked collectively with us to bring O’Brien into custody,” a DOC spokesperson said in a statement. “We also want to thank the members of the community who called in information and tips involving this individual.”

Pondville Correctional is a minimum and pre-release facility for criminally-sentenced males, according to the state.

O’Brien was last seen on prison grounds around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Massachusetts Department of Correction officials said in a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon.

Prison staff were conducting a routine check and discovered that O’Brien had not returned around 11 a.m., officials said.

Video footage viewed by staff and DOC investigators spotted O’Brien leave the track area of the facility and walk into the nearby woods around 10 a.m.

“His direction of travel was unknown from the rear of the Pondville property,” Walpole Police said.

Authorities described O’Brien as standing 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing around 160 pounds, with a stocky build, with blue eyes and partly bald with white hair.

He was last seen wearing dark blue jeans with a crewneck sweatshirt, a navy-blue windbreaker, a navy blue ballcap, and thick, large black glasses and possibly clear headphones, officials said.

O’Brien is currently serving a sentence for theft of a motor vehicle.

State correction officials called area police departments and the Massachusetts State Police.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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