OGDEN, Utah — An inmate charged with identity fraud escaped the Weber County Jail by posing as another inmate Tuesday, according to the Weber County Sheriff's Office.
As of Wednesday, investigators think Kaleb Wiewandt still might be in the Ogden area. Because his charges involve non-violent crimes, Kaleb Wiewandt is not considered a public risk.
Held in Ogden by the US Marshals for identity theft and bank fraud, Wiewandt is accused of fooling jail staff into letting him go.
“We had no idea. We figured we had released the correct individual.”
Lt. Marigoni said Wiewandt recently shaved his head to look like fellow inmate Matthew Belnap, who was scheduled to be released Tuesday night.
“That’s how ultimately he was able to get through our procedures, our release procedure. [He changed] his appearance to pass that photo identification test and having all of Mr. Belnap’s information memorized,” Lt. Marigoni said.
Staff found out about the escape a few hours later when Belnap notified staff he was still in jail. Security cameras caught Wiewandt walking east on 12th Street.
“This is a very rare occurrence. This is not something we see every day. It was well planned out as far as we can see,” Lt. Marigoni said.
As for the inmate who was supposed to get out, Belnap is now booked on hindering an investigation and aiding an escape.
Wiewandt is 40-years-old, 5’ 10” and about 175 pounds. He’s from southern California and may be waiting for a woman to pick him up and drive him to the West Coast.
