Lansing ? The prison officer fired after convicted murderer John M. Manard escaped from Lansing Correctional Facility has been allowed to resign instead, the Kansas Department of Corrections said Monday.

Officer Earl Green had said he planned to appeal his firing at a Civil Service Board hearing. But he instead asked last week to be allowed to resign, and that request was approved by the Lansing warden and the Kansas secretary of corrections.

Prison officials have said Green did not properly search a van driven by dog trainer Toby Young at least five times, including on Feb. 12, when Young drove out of the prison with Manard.

Correctional officials said Green’s resignation agreement did not include a financial settlement.