Authorities are searching for a convicted sex offender who was last seen in the Storm Lake area.
Forty-two-year-old Cory West has had several convictions for sexual abuse. His latest was in 2008, when West pled guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. After West had done his prison time, a jury in 2011 decided West was likely to commit another violent sex crime, so West was transferred to the Cherokee Mental Health Institute to undergo long-term treatment.
Last fall West became eligible for a transition program that allowed him to work outside of the facility. He did not return from work early Sunday.
Authorities say West is a blue-eyed, balding white man who stands six-foot-five-inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing light denim pants and a red T-shirt with the symbol for Oklahoma University on the front.