Police searching for escaped Walden Correctional Institution inmate

South Carolina Department of Corrections officials are requesting the public’s assistance in locating an inmate that escaped from the Walden Correctional Institution in Columbia on Thursday morning.

Officials said 26-year-old Lorenzo Patterson “walked away” from the correctional facility just after 8 a.m. Thursday morning. Officials did not say how Patterson was able to escape the jail.

Patterson was sentenced to six years in prison for committing third-degree arson, officials said.

Patterson is described as a black male with light-skin complexion, is 5-foot 7-inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds, officials said. Patterson does not have any recognizable scars or tattoos.

If anyone has information regarding Patterson’s whereabouts they are urged to call the S.C. Department of Corrections at (803) 896-2258, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at (803) 737-9000 or local law enforcement.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 11:34 AM with the headline "Police searching for escaped Walden Correctional Institution inmate."