Escaped prisoner found with apparent head wounds

A state prison inmate who escaped from a work detail at the Missouri State Fair was found along a roadside Monday with a head injury, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Shannon D. Watts, 34, walked away from a work-release program late Sunday, just after the fair wrapped up. Pettis County dispatchers reported Monday night that he had been found unconscious and with apparent head injuries near Route B between Sedalia and Green Ridge. Watts was taken by helicopter to a hospital for medical treatment.

An MU Health Care spokeswoman said Watts was in serious condition Tuesday at University Hospital.

Watts had been housed in the Tipton Correctional Center for convictions including burglary, resisting arrest, drug possession, motor vehicle tampering and illegal gun possession.

The Department of Corrections Emergency Response Team and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers searched the fairgrounds and the surrounding area after Watts escaped late Sunday but were unable to find him. Work-release teams made up of prisoners routinely help with maintenance and cleanup at the fair.

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