Prisoner escapes from northwest Kansas prison

Christopher Zorn

State law enforcement officers are looking for a convicted felon who escaped Tuesday from a work crew in Norton.

Christopher Zorn, 46, an inmate at the Norton Correction Facility in northwest Kansas, is accused of assaulting an elderly woman in her Norton home and stealing her vehicle after the escape, said Troy Thomson, Norton County sheriff. The woman was transported to a trauma center in Wichita as a result of the injuries, he said.

Officers believe Zorn has a 1987 Mercury Sable, with license plate QZM 153, out of Norton County, the sheriff said. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation sent out a statewide news release about the escapee on Thursday.

Zorn is described as being a white male, 5-foot-11, 187 pounds, with red hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone with information about Zorn’s whereabouts is encouraged to call 911 or 1-800-KS-CRIME.

Zorn has been convicted of several burglaries across the state, Kansas Department of Correction records indicate. He was also convicted of escaping from custody in Seward County on Nov. 10, 1980.