Man Who Escaped Alabama Work Release Center Returned to Florida

A man who escaped from an Alabama work release center in 2019 has been extradited to Florida, where he is now facing charges connected to an alleged armed carjacking that happened just days after his escape.

According to authorities, Travis Wyatt Dawson was extradited last week to Escambia County, Florida, where he was served with outstanding warrants for felony carjacking with a weapon and misdemeanor battery. He is being held in the Escambia County Jail on a $102,500 bond.

Investigators say the charges stem from a July 14, 2019, incident in Walnut Hill, Florida. Authorities allege Dawson approached a victim from behind, threatened them with a machete and stole a 2016 Dodge Caravan.

Officials say Dawson had escaped from a work release center in Loxley, Alabama, four days before the alleged carjacking. During the incident, a witness reportedly climbed into the back of the stolen minivan in an attempt to stop the suspect as he drove away.

The vehicle was later found abandoned after running out of gas near Interstate 65 and Government Street in Mobile.

According to investigators, Dawson remained on the run for nearly a year before he was captured in Louisiana in May 2020.

Get our free mobile app

At the time of his escape from the Alabama work release facility, Dawson was serving a 20-year sentence for a 2013 controlled substance conviction in Escambia County, Alabama.

The extradition allows Florida prosecutors to move forward with the outstanding criminal charges related to the 2019 case.