Inmate on lam in Mendocino County

Mendocino County law enforcement officers are searching for an inmate who went on the lam Tuesday after being granted a court pass to visit a sick relative.

Brett Edward Harlan, 56, was required to return to the jail by 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. He was reported as an escaped prisoner at 7 p.m.

Harlan told family members he visited that he did not intend to go back to jail, where he was serving time for vehicle theft, probation and court order violations, assault on a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance, sheriff’s officials said.

Harlan may be hiding in the Redwood Valley or Willits areas, officials said. He should be considered dangerous, they said.

Harlan is 6 feet tall, weighs 220 pounds, has a shaved head and a tattoo that reads “Shirley” across his upper chest. He also has tattoos on the right side of his neck and back of his head and a prosthetic right leg, officials said.

Anyone with information about Harlan’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 463-4086.