Inmate Absconds While Out With Work Crew

At about 1 p.m. this afternoon an inmate of the Bay County Jail walked away from the work crew he had been assigned to for the past month and fled into a nearby wooded area.

Kenneth Edward Godat, DOB 1/24/71, was working with his crew near the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Baldwin Road when he stepped behind a building, took off his black and white striped inmate uniform and fled into a nearby wooded area. Godat had been working with the crew for about a month and had not had any disciplinary problems.

Before inmates can be assigned to a work crew, they must meet certain criteria. They must be incarcerated for a non-violent crime, evaluated and deemed non-violent and not a threat to society. Godat had been serving a sentence at the Bay County Jail for Grand Theft.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office K-9 and Air Unit is at this time searching for Godat. Any one with information on the location of Kenneth Edward Godat is asked to call the Bay County Sheriff’s Office at 747-4700.

Photos From Left To Right:

1st row:  Arial Search by the department’s helicopter,  Clothing left by GoDat,  Deputies gathering to conduct their search,

2nd rod:  Gathering Evidence,  Searching Buildings, Godat’s Booking Photo