No Sign Found Of White Supremacist Fugitive

Bonner County authorities came up empty-handed Wednesday in their hunt for an escaped prisoner.

Matthew Bracken, 25, climbed an exercise yard fence, went over a strand of razor wire and fled from the jail Monday afternoon.

The escapee is a white supremacist from Utah with swastika tattoos around his neck and other racist images tattooed all over his body. He fled while the jail was understaffed over the Presidents Day holiday.

Detectives have received dozens of calls about possible sightings of Bracken. Those tips led to several searches Wednesday.

Authorities believe the fugitive is hiding in the Sandpoint area because it would be difficult for him to be in public with his tattoos and jail clothes.

“His biggest concern is he wants to get out of here. We consider him dangerous, but only from the standpoint that he doesn’t want to be caught,” said Bonner County Sheriff Chip Roos.

Bracken was arrested for stealing guns from a home near Sandpoint and was charged with grand theft. He has been considered an escape risk and had previously made a weapon out of his jail-issue toothbrush.

Bracken also apparently wrote several notes to friends asking them to get him out of jail, authorities said.

, DataTimes