Escapee hiding out at Taree | Coffs Coast News | Local News in Coffs Coast

POLICE have found a prisoner who escaped from custody at Kempsey on Monday.

Cleveland Madden, 22, an inmate at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre west of Kempsey, was at Kempsey Local Court on Monday afternoon.

After his appearance for alleged property offences, he was due to return to the correctional facility but managed to escape from Corrective Services officers as he was getting into the prison van.

Madden, who was serving time for breaching his parole, was wearing prison greens and handcuffs at the time of his escape.

A police manhunt led officers at 12.05pm yesterday to a house in Pindari Crescent at Taree where they found Madden hiding under a mattress in a bedroom. He was arrested and taken to Taree Police Station where he was expected to be charged with escaping lawful custody.

“Police would like to thank members of the public and media for their assistance with the matter,” a police spokesman said.