This Tri-Cities felon is back in jail after vanishing before he could be sent to prison


A convicted felon is back in jail after he disappeared more than two months ago after being released to visit his dying grandmother.

Umatilla County sheriff’s deputies arrested Michael P. Nelson, 33, on Wednesday, according to a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.

“We want to thank all the police agencies in the area who helped bring our furloughed offender back, hopefully to no be released by another superior court judge again,” the sheriff’s office said in its post.

Nelson has been on the run since the beginning of November after he failed to turn himself in to start a two-year prison sentence and drug treatment.

Judge Norma Rodriguez allowed him to visit his dying grandmother after he pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a stolen vehicle and three counts of second-degree theft in Franklin, Walla Walla and Yakima counties, according to court documents.

That was part of an agreement between his defense attorney and prosecutors, according to court documents.

While he faced a sentencing range of three years and eight months to nearly five years in prison, prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to get him into a program that would help him with drug treatment.

It would have cut his sentence to two years in prison and another two years on probation while he was being treated.

After being released on Oct. 24, he reported that his grandmother died, and he wanted to attend the funeral. He was supposed to come back Nov. 2.

As part of the agreement, both sides noted he could lose the ability to get reduced sentence if he didn’t return for his sentencing. It’s not clear if he will have to spend more time in prison now that he’s returned, or if he will face new charges.

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