Search continues for sex offender who escaped from State Hospital

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - The search for a potentially dangerous sex offender who escaped from an Arizona State Hospital rehabilitation program over the weekend is ongoing.

According to Sgt. Vince Lewis with Phoenix Police, a felony warrant out of Maricopa County has been issued for the arrest of Randy Wayne Layton, for allegedly escaping and tampering with a monitoring device.

As of Wednesday, there is still no sign of Layton. According to reports, the 37-year-old was on a scheduled outing with the Arizona State Hospital staff, which was meant to reintroduce patients into social situations. Layton reportedly took off running out of the front door of a Chinese restaurant, before anyone could stop him.

Layton's ankle monitor was later found in a dumpster at a shopping center in the area of Central and Dunlap.

Layton was indicted in April 2004, out of Mohave County. Layton, who lived in Kingman at the time, was accused of sexual misconduct against a minor who was under the age of 15. Layton, who was 24 at the time, took a plea deal and received probation, and would later wound up in prison over a probation violation.

At the time of his escape, Layton was a patient at the Arizona State Hospital as a part of its Arizona Community Protection and Treatment Center program, which is geared towards men who the court has declared as sexually violent. The hospital described Layton as a "moderate risk", but Keisha Smith believes the treatment program needs to do more to keep the public safe.

"He got away," said Smith. "Evidently, it's not enough."

According to the Arizona Department of Health Service, a security review of all its off-site treatment is underway.