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Escaped drug dealer sought on Hawaii island

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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Michael Blanco, 42, was seen walking out of the furlough center unauthorized just before 2 a.m. Security staff told him to stop but he ran.

Hawaii County police are looking for inmate Michael Blanco, who escaped from the Hale Nani Reintegration Center in Panaewa at 2 a.m. today.

Anyone who sees Blanco is asked to call 911.

Blanco walked out of the furlough center, then ran as security staff told him to stop, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Security officers chased Blanco but were unable to catch him.

He is serving a sentence for promotion of a dangerous drug and was scheduled for a December parole hearing.

Blanco, 42, weighs 190 pounds and is 5 feet, 9 inches tall. He has brown eyes and brown hair.

DPS describes Hale Nani as a reintegration program in an open dorm-style building that offers reintegration services and a work release program for inmates who will be released on Hawaii island.

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