U.S. Marshals are searching for a tattoo-covered sex offender who failed to report to a transitional center after he was released from prison.
Matthew Stager, 44, is a convicted sex offender who was released from the Federal Correctional Complex in Petersburg, Virginia Thursday but failed to self-report to a transitional center in Texas the same day as his release, Fox News reported.
Stager has a history of mental health and drug abuse problems and has known connections to multiple states, authorities say.
Stager was given a one-day furlough to travel to Austin and signed a form indicating that he was still in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons until his release from the transitional center in July, WTVR reported.
By signing the form, he acknowledged that he could be charged with escape if he didn’t report to the facility. He was last seen at Richmond International Airport Feb. 2 after he failed to make his required scheduled flight to Austin.
U.S. Marshals said Stager could be in Hampton Roads area or recently traveled through the region, but he has no ties to the area, WAVY reported.
He is described as a white or Hispanic male, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 145 pounds, and covered in facial tattoos. Marshals are hoping the tattoos will make him easy to spot and that somebody will turn him in.
U.S. Marshals are asking anybody who has information on Stager’s whereabouts to call them at 1-877-926-8332.