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Man turns himself in after escaping police custody

Posted at 5:39 PM, Aug 05, 2013
and last updated 2013-08-05 19:39:54-04

SYRACUSE — A man turned himself in early Monday after escaping police custody the day before.

Stephen Allen, 21, was arrested Sunday  in connection with alleged credit card fraud. Syracuse police said the credit card had been stolen from a vehicle and used at a Walmart.

Erin Behm, spokeswoman for the Syracuse Police Department, said officers conducted some brief interviews with Allen upon his arrest.

“The officers were briefing [themselves] about the interviews and [Allen] escaped out of an unsecured door,” Behm said.

Syracuse police along with neighboring police agencies and Davis County Sheriff’s Office launched a massive search and used emergency notification services to alert residents.

Allen turned himself in early Monday morning at his home a few blocks away from the station.

While police say they’ve never had an issue leaving a suspect alone inside an interview room, they’re taking a serious look at making some changes.

“This has sparked obviously a new issue that the chief and many of the administration will be going over policies and procedures to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Behm said.

Allen is charged with escape from custody along with retail theft and possession of stolen property.

Allen may also be facing charges of vehicle burglary. Police believe he could be tied to 40 vehicle burglaries across Davis County.