PAWNEE COUNTY— A Kansas woman was sentenced Thursday for her role along with two other state employees, in the escape of sexual offender John Freeman Colt from the Sexual Predator Treatment Program at Larned State Hospital, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.
District Judge Bruce Gatterman sentenced Rachel Rena Perez, 52 of Larned, to a reduced sentence of 16 months in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections with each count to run concurrently. The Court also ordered Perez to register as a Sex Offender for a period of 25 years upon her release from prison.
On August 17, Perez plead No Contest pursuant to a plea agreement to three felonies including Obstructing in the Apprehension or Prosecution of a Registered Sex Offender, Unlawful Sexual Relations with a patient while employed by KDADS, and Conspiracy to Escape from the Sexual Predator Treatment Program.
The charges stem from an ongoing investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department following the June 30, 2021, escape of John Freeman Colt from the Sexual Predator Treatment Program located on the campus of Larned State Hospital. Colt was captured in Wayne Country Utah on September 27, 2021. He was later ordered to serve a 21 month term with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
John Freemen Colt, 45, is now back in the custody of the Sexual Predator Treatment Program on the campus of Larned State Hospital. He is currently charged under Kansas Law with Aggravated Escape from Custody, a severity level 8 non-person felony, and Aggravated Violation of the Offender Registration Act, a Severity Level 3 person felony. A preliminary hearing is currently scheduled for December 20, 2023.