A violent state mental hospital patient, committed after he made up a story about a genie commanding him to stab a fellow prison inmate, escaped on Saturday, officials say.
Tyrone Jones, 44, committed in 1988, was last seen Saturday at 10 a.m. on 17th Street in Pueblo, said Eunice Wolther, spokeswoman for the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo.
Wolther said Jones “walked away” from the hospital, meaning that he had been given off-grounds privileges through good behavior and did not have to jump a fence or break through locked security to escape.
It is Jones’ second escape from the facility in two years, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.
Jones has been written up more than 20 times for physically and sexually assaulting patients and staff – including a pregnant guard – threatening to kill patients and selling drugs, according to his state medical records.
Jones made his records available to The Post in 2002 for a story on criminals feigning mental illness to get into the state hospital.
In 2002, Jones told The Post that he made up the genie story so that he could avoid a life sentence for being a habitual criminal and stabbing another inmate at a Cañon City prison.
Jones told two psychiatrists that the genie “Zanut” commanded him to kill inmate William Small so Zanut could possess Small’s soul and torture it for “mocking” Islam, according to medical records.
“I was surprised how easy it was” to fool doctors, he said in the 2002 interview.
Institute psychiatrist David Johnson said he suspected Jones was faking but concurred with another doctor that Jones had schizophrenia.
After he was committed, Jones was considered a malingerer, according to his records.
Jones’ diagnosis was changed from schizophrenia to drug dependence and anti-social personality disorder.
Since that interview, Jones was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and escape in December 2005, according to CBI records.
When Jones escaped Saturday, he wore a black velour running suit with red accents and a black cap with a New York symbol, Wolther said.
He is black and 6 feet tall, weighs 230 pounds and has a tattoo of teardrops under his left eye, Wolther said.
Patients at the hospital may start off in a high-security ward, but if they follow the rules, they can obtain a range of privileges, included on- grounds and off-grounds privileges.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
