Robert Long- Oklahoma- 2014 (CAPTURED)

An inmate charged with murder walked away from the Jackie Brannon Correctional Center in McAlester sometime Tuesday, yet authorities never notified the southeast Oklahoma public of the potential safety threat.

In fact, several local law enforcement administrators weren’t immediately aware that missing inmate Robert Long, 28, was wanted on a murder charge until the News-Capital started making calls about the issue some 14 hours after Long disappeared from the corrections facility on West Street Tuesday night.

No press release was ever issued by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections or local law enforcement regarding Long being on the run in the McAlester area.

Pittsburg County Sheriff Joel Kerns and McAlester Police Chief Gary Wansick weren’t informed of the murder charge until late Wednesday morning.

“I was notified,” said Wansick at about 12:20 p.m. Wednesday. “I was told by one of our captains just a few minutes ago.”
Kerns did not immediately know about the murder charge but said his deputies were aware of the matter. Det. Sgt. Chris Morris of McAlester police said city patrolmen were informed of the pending murder charge late Tuesday night.

Kerns said he had deputies actively looking for Long, while Morris said McAlester police were ready to respond to any suspicious person call in the city limits.

An explanation as to why the public was not immediately notified about Long was not forthcoming. Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie said the DOC only notified local law enforcement — but not the media — about the fact Long was missing.

Long was originally incarcerated at Jackie Brannon on drug and firearm charges. On Friday, authorities in Comanche County filed a murder charge against Long in connection with a shooting that happened March 7. In that incident an individual named Johnny Von Allen was fatally shot in the chest and abdomen with a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol.

An inmate check late Tuesday showed Long was missing from the minimum security Jackie Brannon.

Massie said ordinarily an inmate facing as serious a charge as a murder count would have been moved from the minimum security prison. However, Massie said the DOC did not know what the new charge was against Long, and a writ of habeas corpus document provided to the DOC only listed the case number and not what the actual charge was.

“He would have been transported to a more secure facility, particularly for that kind of charge,” Massie said.
Local media was not informed of the escapee.

Long is a black male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 141 pounds and with black hair and black eyes, according to the Department of Corrections website.