Sheriff's Office: Escaped inmate possibly back in the area

HOUGHTON — An inmate who escaped from the Houghton County Jail last summer may be back in the area.

The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office says they received a tip just before 11am Thursday that escaped inmate John Saatio was seen walking on US-41 near the Michigan Tech Campus. After searching the Houghton/Hancock areas, deputies and local police were unable to find anyone matching Saatio’s description.

A detective from the sheriff’s office talked to the eye witness and found that it is a high possibility that the person seen was in fact Saatio. He was seen wearing a black ball cap, black jacket, blue jeans and glasses.

The witness said the face was skinnier and he had a slight beard. Saatio went missing on June 19, 2015 after he escaped coming back from a court appearance at the Houghton County Courthouse.

Anyone seeing a person matching his description is asked to call 911 or the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office at 906-482-0055.